User reviews

I'm no great fan of Neil Simon, but this neat adaption of his popular stage success BAREFOOT IN THE PARK brings a smile to my face--and it probably will yours too. The story is quite simple: newlyweds Robert Redford and Jane Fonda have moved into a New York apartment building peopled by eccentrics... and their own tiny apartment has hole in the skylight, no heat, and you have walk up five flights to get there. Redford, a rather stodgy conservative, takes a dim view of the whole thing; Fonda, who has an excessively happy-go-lucky disposition, thinks everything is great fun. Needless to say, they're soon going at it hammer and tongs.

This is a very contrived, sitcom-ish plot, but the cast carries it well. Although Redford has remained a great star for forty years, his films have been very hit or miss; here he is well cast, and he plays expertly. During this period of her career, Fonda was very much the perky girl-next-door with a slight sex-kitten spin, and she too is fun to watch. But the real winners here are Charles Boyer, as their eccentric neighbor, and particularly Mildred Natwick, as Fonda's mother. Natwick excelled at playing disconcerted matrons, and this is perhaps the best of the many fine, memorable variations of the type she offered during her long and very enjoyable career. BAREFOOT IN THE PARK won't go down in history as a great film, nor will change your point of view. But it is tremendously good fun, a film I've enjoyed every time time I've seen it--and that is a good many. Recommended; you'll enjoy it.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This film version of one of Neil Simon's early Broadway hits coasts on the likability of its cast and a lot of classic Simon banter. The gossamer-thin plot, about newlyweds who find out they don't know each other as well as they thought, is only a framework to hang a bunch of running gags about drafty New York flats, endless stairs, oddball neighbors and the like.

Laughs are plentiful, although as in the rest of Simon's work, one is acutely aware that nobody is so quick with the one-liners in real life.

Boy, were they young back then! Robert Redford underplays charmingly as Paul Bratter, up-and-coming lawyer and all-round stick-in-the-mud; Jane Fonda is his new bride Corie, sexy, fun-loving and relentlessly cute to the borderline of annoyance. When you find her schtick getting a little hard to take, concentrate instead on veteran character actors Charles Boyer and Mildred Natwick, who lend spirit and class to their comedic roles.

Perhaps the direction by Gene Saks is a tad stagebound (he directed the Broadway version), and the cinematography a bit muddy, but Neal Hefti contributes another sprightly score that does a lot to compensate. Overall, an undemanding, undeniable pleasure.

I got so excited that Robert Redford did a romantic comedy film with Jane Fonda. Barefoot in the Park was indeed very funny and very entertaining. The story was simple. All the matters with the characters slowly rise. We can see that Corie Bratter (Jane Fonda), from being lovely and cheerful goes arguing and hating his conservative, spoilsport husband Paul Bratter. It was really funny. Robert Redford amuses me the most. He had that accentuated aura that reminded me of "The Sting" and his role in "Butch Cassidy and Sudance Kid". Jane Fonda was particularly witty too in her character. The latest humorous movie I watched about her was "Monster in Law". It took me a little time recognize her character in Barefoot in the Park, because honestly I haven't watch too much yet of her old movies. I must admit however that the first part of the film wasn't too much captivating. It got me bored a little. But when I saw finally Corie arguing with Paul because of their differences and incompatible attitudes, it got me the extreme laughs ever. Truly this is one cute, comically entertaining film of the old times I've ever seen. Highly recommend it.

This is just one of those movies that can make you feel better if you've had a bad day. Honestly, it's charming, funny, light and I don't know, just the right amount of comedy and romance. Redford and Fonda are perfect together. This is a truly great comedic performance by Jane Fonda, she's amazing in this movie. Then again I am a stickler for her lighter, funnier work from the 60s. But this one stands out as being genuinely funny and well made. I love all the funny little details, like the tuna fish cans, Robert Redford's comment about "a big cat with a can opener", Jane Fonda's mother, Jane Fonda doing a "Cambodian fertility dance", etc. It is all just too classic for words. Buy this movie if you love 60s cinema and/or its two stars, it's too good.

You won't roll on the floor laughing but you won't be sorry you spent 90 minutes with the characters on-screen. Very light and easy to take, brought to a nice level of fun by some very talented actors. Mildred Natwick earned her Oscar nomination; I wonder why Charles Boyer didn't get one, too. Fonda & Redford are both so young its hard to remember they were ever that age.

I lived in a walk-up apartment in Manhattan (fifth floor!)and had to quit smoking so I wouldn't have to have an oxygen tank installed on each floor in order to just make it home every night. I enjoyed reading the 'trivia' section about this movie and find it very interesting that the French version had to change the running joke to the 9th floor; since they are also infamous for smoking, one wonders why elevators were not more popular.

As my girlfriend noted before I watched for the first time, this is like the original 'Dharma & Greg.' She's the free spirit, he's the button-down lawyer struggling to adjust to the new world into which he's just married. After six days of a honeymoon at the Plaza, where eyebrows are raised amongst the staff because the young lovers never leave the room, conflicts come to a boil at home when she realizes that her new husband isn't such an adventurous fella. Amongst the number of reasons she compiles to determine that they just can't make it after all: he declines an invitation to take off his shoes, in February, to walk barefoot in the park.

Of course, with your knowledge of romantic comedies about marital discord, you know generally how it all ends. How the conflict is resolved, beginning with some advice from Mother, may seem realistic and true to some. Others raised on self-empowered heroines may think it's a trite sell-out.

There's no question that young Redford fits the bill as Handsome & Charming, but it's a little hard to believe in him as a character who's supposed to be a stick in the mud. Fonda at this point had carved out a niche for herself in Wild, Untamed Belle roles, and she's fine again in that role here. But I must admit it was hard to watch without thinking about Holly Golightly, and imagining a sophisticated presence like Audrey Hepburn in the part, instead. The script also calls for the Mother to comment that she's never seen another couple who looked so much in love, but I really didn't see it. The couple seems at complete odds from their first evening at home. I can't think of a scene that illustrates why the two fell in love in the first place, except that they're both so young & sexy.

It's worth watching for the snappy dialogue, the work by Charles Boyer & Mildred Natwick as Mr. Velasco & the Mother, the chance to admire Redford & Fonda in their youth, and as a nice Neil Simon period piece. But it would be no crime for someone to attempt a better, updated remake. It could be done, and you probably can already picture it.

I happen to prefer 'The Odd Couple' and 'The Out-of-Towners' but 'Barefoot in the Park' is good too. Surprisingly, I didn't find it as dated as 'The Goodbye Girl' which I saw recently.

As in all Neil Simon scripts, you'll get the weird situations, the quirky characters and the good lines. (My favourite: "Who lives in 4D?" "A big cat with a can opener.")

True, the movie appears staged, and the 1960s sets are, well, 1960s sets. But who cares. Robert Redford and Jane Fonda were young and attractive. And Charles Boyer steals the show, if that's possible with a Neil Simon script.

This is a superb comedy with a perfect dream of a script and the comedy is genuinely funny. It's one of those rare movies where you can get a real belly laugh. The plot has been very well described by others. Fonda is great and its a pity she did not do more farce because she is perfect and she gives it all shes got. Redford never looked sexier and its impossible not to fall head over heals in love with him. Charles Boyer is superb and the scene when he takes the young lovers and the mother to that incredible restaurant is hilarious. The real scene stealer is Mildred Natwick who is unforgettable. She will have you in stitches. Her under play is brilliant and its a performance I have never forgotten. Why she never got an Oscar for this is beyond me because its the most perfect performance. Natwick was one of America's finest actors and she is deeply missed. Whatever she did she did with distinction. Proof there are no small parts.What a classy lady! You will love this movie but you will never forget Natwick.

Barefoot in the Park is one funny movie from director Neil Simon and highlights the comedic talents of two people on the verge of stardom, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford as Corie and Paul Bratter. They are ably supported by Charles Boyer as Victor Velasko, the neighbor, and Mildred Natwick, as Corie's mother Ethel. Herb Edelman is a repairman, whose forays to the apartment bring some hilarious lines delivered with his fine brand of Jewish humor.

The story is dated but the acting more than makes up for it and the repartee between the two major characters is exceptional. Taking place in New York City, a newly-married couple take up residence in a leaky, drafty, walk-up apartment (five storeys up). There is a running gag every time visitors climb the stairway, since they collapse from exhaustion on arrival.

Much in love, Corie and Paul must deal with the fact that they are two totally different personalities. She is a bubbly extrovert and talking machine and he is a rather staid, young lawyer, who must suffer the butt of her jokes. Charles Boyer, a free spirit like Corie, gives Ethel a new lease on life. Following a side-splitting double date with Victor and Ethel, Corie and Paul face a shakeup in their relationship that reaches a finale when Paul becomes drunk and goes barefoot in the park. In this scene, Robert Redford shows his talent, trading roles with Jane Fonda, as he staggers and hops around Washington Square.

It is great to see Fonda and Redford in action just before they made the leap to stardom, not to mention the superb supporting cast. Great fun...recommend.

The writing is superb, the cast is impeccable. As good as Boyer, Fonda and even Redford are, the wonderful Mildred Natwick steals the show.

Some appropriately highly spirited supporting performances, in particular from Charles Boyer, are the highlight of this pleasant but otherwise quite run-of-the-mill comedy. Jane Fonda tends to go a bit over-the-top, the jokes and puns are often rather obvious and too repetitive to be entertaining, and to top it all off, the end few minutes are awfully silly without being at all amusing. It certainly is not a bad film, though. Some witty dialogue, a few notable performances and some great music bring the film some salvation for what problems it arguably has. Still, it is nothing really special or highly recommended. Nice, not great.

I'm 54 years old. I first saw this movie as a boy and found it amusing. I recently just saw it again. Ugh.

Jane Fonda's character is over the top, insatiable, whiny, out-of- control, illogical, and emotional.

Meanwhile, Redford's character is just trying to go work and get a good nights sleep which is impossible.

And after a mere six days of marriage, she wants a divorce. Please.

It was an absolute pain to watch this movie. Had I bought popcorn, I would have asked for my money back.

This ridiculous story while light-hearted in it's original release has proved on film over time to be an embarrassment to intelligent women everywhere and forever.

You couldn't pay me to watch this ever again. Well actually you could.

But it would have to be a lot.

I would recommend this movie to anyone for its simplicity. Though simple and quiet, this movie is stunning. The situation of a young married couple played out almost entirely in their one bedroom apartment adds to this movies basic plot. The nonchalant attitude of a newly married man and his very emotionally free wife is quite exciting. I would normally ask for a lot more from a movie, but in "Barefoot in the Park" it is not needed. The superb acting of both Robert Redford and Jane Fonda leave you stoked for the thrilling dialogs that take place between the couple. There is an abundance of humor. The movie simply leaves you feeling casual in a very glamorous world.

Although made in the sixties, you could easily mistake this for one of those lovely warm and cosy comedies of the 1930s. Blink and you could see Joan Blondell or Ginger Rogers in that exact role Jane Fonda plays so perfectly here. Her character, the bubbly, feisty excitement-seeking wife of a fuddy duddy was done hundreds of times in countless films in the 30s. And just like in those 1930s movies, we've even got the obligatory sexy girl in her underwear scene! What makes this stand out from the crowd is the complete and utter likeability of its cast.

The massively popular play which this film was based on had been running for four years when this was filmed. You get a feeling that on stage this would have been brilliant and some of that sparkle has been lost a little on its transition from stage to screen. In compensation you do get a lot of scenes in the streets in the park and on the river which add to the nineteen sixtiesness of this. The film is virtually lifted scene by scene from what would have been seen on stage which is usually a recipe for disaster but not here. Unlike some of those atrocious very early 30s and late 20s pictures where they seemed to just stick a camera in front of a stage and hope for the best, this looks great. But like a play, everything mainly happens in one set - the small apartment but that apartment room eventually becomes as familiar to you as to the room you're actually in now - it feels like home! It virtually becomes a character itself. The inclusion of quite a few exterior shots of a very cold looking 1960s New York adds a sense of reality to this and genuinely when everyone is outside you do actually feel cold whereas when they're all back inside...back in what eventually seems like YOUR home..... you are warm and comfortable again.

The humour is witty and amusing rather than hilarious. The story is unoriginal and clichéd and the plot is non-existent but it is still hugely enjoyable. The reason for that is the same as it was in the 30s equivalents when Joan Blondell or Jessie Matthews would be trying to figure out how to make their relationship with some fuddy duddy banker like Warren William work. It's having nice people whom you can relate to. This film must have one of the nicest most likeable bunch of people ever: Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Charles Boyer and Mildred Natwick are all just so great! And that's really all that this film is about. OK, it's also proving the old 'opposites attract' aphorism, it's a witty and entertaining comedy but if that were all this was it would be a bit lame. This makes you feel for an hour and a half that these charming, attractive and slightly eccentric people might be friends of yours.

Featherweight, thin comedy is nonetheless enjoyable and extremely watchable. Predictable, to be sure, with often juvenile jokes and some simplistic "dramatic" moments, but the stars are very appealing and the general feel-good spirit of the film may actually cheer you up. Excellent underplaying by Redford. (**1/2)

Enjoyed the great acting by the entire cast in this very enjoyable comedy about two newly weds who are living in New York City and the film starts with this couple riding in a horse and carriage through Central Park where they are staying at the Plaza Hotel. Paul Pratter, (Robert Redford) plays the husband who is a lawyer and his bride is Corie Pratter, (Jane Fonda) who stay six days at the hotel and then they both go to their apartment which is on the fifth floor and there is no elevator in this rather old brownstone building. Charles Boyer,(Victor Velasco) gives a great supporting role as an older man who has been married four times and becomes friends with Corie Pratter. Mildred Natwick, (Ethel Banks)who plays the role as the mother to Cori and she gets involved with Victor Velasco in a romantic relationship. Neil Simon produced a great film and I could watch it over and over again.

A frantic 1960's romantic comedy that is still a vibrant look at a New York City that has all but vanished; however, the movie HAS shown signs of wear and tear of late. I like Redford but I don't get Fonda. She's all over the place; her nervousness bothers me. She handles the dramatic parts in the script fine, but displays a shrill, manic nature in performing the comedic elements. She's, ultimately, too over-the-top for my tastes. I wish the director would've simply yelled "CUT!" once or twice. Charles Boyer, on the other hand, is a godsend from above. Literally. He lives in the building's attic, one flight above the newlyweds. Boyer is fit--looking much younger than his stated age at the time--and his acting chops are sharpened to a razor-thin cut. The small, quirky (the radiator is skyward) N.Y.C. apartment set serves an important purpose: It's the unofficial arena for our trio of thespians to do battle. Joined (later) by Fonda's understanding mother and an agitated telephone repairman, Neil Simon's sly narrative is finally completed. Numerous public conveyances are used to provide color in this movie. The old cars, Checker Cabs, N.Y.C. buses and even the Staten Island Ferry, make classic appearances before the film's final fade out. The ferry takes the two couples--minus the phone guy--to sleepy Staten Island, so they can experience an authentic Albanian restaurant, complete with belly dancing and homemade brew. It's the highlight of the film.

Robert Redford and Jane Fonda are both outstanding actors and compensate each other very nicely in this romantic comedy. This movie has all the quality ingredients needed to make it a classic comedy. Redford, as usual, displays great talent enhanced by the school-girl charisma of Jane Fonda. I love it.

Corie (Jane Fonda) is a flighty and flustered newly married wife to button-down lawyer Paul Bratter (Robert Redford). The newlyweds are deeply in love. They move into their tiny 5th floor walk up NYC flat. Corie's mother Ethel Banks (Mildred Natwick) surprises them with a visit while the place is still empty. Their upstairs neighbor is the quirky Victor Velasco (Charles Boyer). Corie invites him over secretly setting him up with her mother on a blind date a couple days later. It's a wild night of unfamiliar foods and too much drink. Corie loves it but Paul and Ethel can't stand it.

I love the first hour. It is hilarious and filled with gut-busting laughs. The Neil Simon script is fun frivolity. It lost me a little when Corie starts screaming divorce. It's a really sharp turn and it threw me off. It's opportunity for a hilarious fight. The D word is a step too far. I actually love the silent fight while the telephone guy is fixing the phone. The other thing is that the characters indicate more white bread actors. Corie seems to be a princess while Paul really does need to be a stuff shirt. Neither is a description of Fonda or Redford. However it's still early enough in their careers that they could play these supposed bland characters. Both Natwick and Boyer are delightful.

I did not see the original stage play. What I saw, a few years before I managed to catch up with this movie, was telecast on HBO: Barefoot In The Park, starring Richard Thomas and Bess Armstrong. That version was a riot! This one, while having a few outdoor scenes, lost its luster. Both Fonda & Redford seem flat... certainly not up to the energy of Thomas & Armstrong. I haven't found the HBO version in the IMDb, but hopefully somebody with the particulars of the film will be kind enough to add it. I rated this Fonda-Redford version a 7.

I was surprised to read all the positive reviews above because... I thought this movie really failed to deliver. This film might have made more sense in the 60's when the idea of an independent, free-spirited woman was seen as more 'madcap' (not to mention 'new'), but to a 21st century audience, Jane Fonda's character will appear whiny, clingy, and co-dependent. (When a neighbour asks her what she does for a living, she replies 'I'm a wife'). There are one or two good lines, and of all the performances I thought Charles Boyer's was the best, but it seemed truly surprising that Jane Fonda was nominated for awards for this; at times, her delivery of Neil Simon's lines felt stiff and awkward. Again, this movie may have made a lot more sense in context; 'couple' sit-coms were new. Now, we've seen so many of them, that the bickering between Fonda and Redford seems not funny but tiresome. There are many better films from this period.