Bobby Deerfield (1977) User Reviews (48)

Heaven Has No Favorites

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 19 December 2008]

When Bobby Deerfield was marketed in the USA it was sold to the public as a racing picture like Grand Prix or Le Mans. I well remember the advertisements for it. The European racing scene however is only a background for an Erich Maria Remarque novel on which the film is based. It is a very typical Remarque story about doomed people.

Remarque was one of the most pessimistic of 20th century writers. His best known work however usually has a war background. He spent his entire life trying to out do his first great success All Quiet On The Western Front. Such other work as Three Comrades and Arch of Triumph which were also filmed had a war background or post or pre-war if you will.

The novel Bobby Deerfield is based on Heaven Has No Favorites and came out in 1961 and its protagonist was not an American. My guess is that in order to film it and insure box office the protagonist was changed to an American and a rising American star was cast. Al Pacino plays the title role, an American driver on the European circuit who is self involved in his career. In fact he goes visiting another injured driver, not out of any tremendous concern for him, but to find out information about the crash because he's driving the exact same type of car.

While at the hospital he meets Marthe Keller who leaves the hospital with him. She's a terminal tuberculosis patient and she wants to experience a little of life before it's too late. His kind of risk taking profession appeals to her. It takes a while, but the two develop a relationship.

Which was paralleled in real life between Al Pacino and Marthe Keller and that certainly helped the film a lot. Keller joins Ingrid Bergman from Arch of Triumph and Margaret Sullavan in Three Comrades as yet another of Remarque's doomed heroines. And like in war Pacino's in a job where his number can come up any time.

The film was shot on location in France. Sydney Pollack showed some of the style he did while making that other Oscar winning romantic film Out of Africa. The French countryside is captured beautifully.

Still I think it was bad for American audiences to expect another Grand Prix in Bobby Deerfield. There was enough racing scenes in the film to satisfy racing fans, maybe. But make no mistake, this is a tender romantic story and a good one.

Inside the mechanics of love and not motors (dvd)

[leplatypus · 7/10 · 3 June 2013]

I'm surprised to see it's actually not a racing movie but a love story, and a rather good one and among the few that did Pacino. Sure, for the asphalt lover, you will have a excellent introspective of a pilot(the danger, the uselessness of making circles) and a good retrospective of what was F1 in the late 70s. But, it's above all a dramatic romance that happens in Europa (Paris and Firenze essentially).

As it's an early Pacino, he's the nervous, a bit cold and not smiling easily actor of that period. What's interesting is that her girlfriend will change him as a more cool, compassionate that's actually the old Pacino. The good thing also is that the girlfriend is very funny, free, careless and it's a big change from the usual romance, even as if Al says, she's a bit difficult to follow. In addition, Marthe Keller is a fine woman and it's also the proof that charm doesn't mean sex appeal. Another thing that catches my eyes is the carefree way of life of those times(drinking, smoking) and the flashy fashion. In a way, it's like the rebellious generation of the sixties has reaches adulthood without losing their conviction. So, explain why now, in the 10s, everything is forbidden and it's the time of the dark suits!

The music!

[oneness379 · 5/10 · 14 April 2005]

I saw this movie when I was too young to really "get" it. Then, I tried watching it again a few years later, and I thought it was boring. HOWEVER, I absolutely LOVED the soundtrack and I wish it would become available again. The music is so moving, and it's great to listen to when one is in a 'sad' mood....it has a feel to it which is strangely enjoyable. I wonder how many people are aware, really, that they experience a sense of 'joy' even in their own pain/grief? I doubt many are aware of it at all. But I've noticed this myself. There is music for every mood. And the music in this movie is peculiarly uplifting, perfect to induce a "feel good" pleasure, while experiencing the various emotions that most people might try to deny, yet secretly enjoy within. If I was rating the music, I'd give it a 20! But I want to get this movie, just to have the music, since they don't make the soundtrack. If you're lucky enough to know someone who has an LP, consider yourself fortunate! You could then have the honor of listening to a great, original score!

special

[Kirpianuscus · 7 February 2018]

For me, one of the great roles of Al Pacino. and one of the most impressive love story films. for many reasons. in many forms. because it is a film about deep solitude. about escaping from yourself. about hope, in a manner who easyly escapes if you define it as a sport film. one of films reflecting, in inspired manner, the actors behind the roles. and this is one of basic motifs to see it time by time. not for artistic virtues, not for message but for a forme of precious honesty. and it is enough for admire "Bobby Deerfield" as one of admirable films.

Parenthetical Pacino

[TheFearmakers · 6/10 · 2 June 2018]

Not a race car movie, but one that centers on a famous driver... The man, BOBBY DEERFIELD, especially after a fatal accident by another driver in his car, simply doesn't care much for humanity or even his own family, and only gets a personality after meeting, and then traveling aimlessly with, a beautiful woman in a hospital. But his real turnaround occurs after discovering, by accident, this mystery woman's deep, dark secret...

Thus the free-spirited, spontaneous, sometimes rambling and obnoxious, insecure confidence of Marthe Keller's personality makes sense after this revelation, as does the film: which still meanders quite a bit, seeming more like a collection of lovely European snapshots than a flowing motion picture; this is his English-speaking Foreign Film. And you've heard of pretty boy actors having to prove their acting talents? Well for Pacino, this is the polar opposite. But he has some good dramatic moments... after all, he is Al Pacino. (cultfilmfreaks.com)

A Forgotten Gem

[LeaBlacks_Balls · 7/10 · 21 February 2010]

This is the story of a racing car driver Bobby Deerfield (Pacino) who cheats on his unloved wife (Duperey) and finds solace in the arms of Lillian Morelli, a strange and irresistible woman (Keller). In the long conversations where they explore each other's lives, Lillian asks incessant questions and invents dramatic events of her past life just to add interest and excitement to their exchange of ideas. Lillian has a teasing manner and Bobby finds her mannerisms strange at first but then begins to realize that here is a woman of difference and he begins falling in love with her and seeks her out wherever she happens to be. Bobby's journeys take him to some of the most romantic spots in France and Italy, beautiful vistas that really enhance the film. But Bobby soon discovers that his wife knows more about this quirky woman than he does.

Unlike many of Pacino's films, this is an very subtle film. Nothing terribly exciting happens during the film, but the chemistry between the two leads is wonderful. The scenes with the two of them just talking are so romantic and interesting. Also, the scenery is gorgeous, as is the lush soundtrack.

Like many people, I prefer Pacino's work pre-'Scarface.' In film like this, and 'The Godfather I and II,' 'Panic In Needle Park,' 'Serpico' and 'Cruising,' Pacino creates fascinating characters, one never like the other. In 'Scarface' he went over the top and sadly has rarely come down since.

My favorite scene is when Bobby does an impression for Lillian that he used to do as a child. If this movie were made a decade later, this scene would have been painful to watch. But as he does his best imitation of Mae West, the scene is sweet, and Pacino reveals a vulnerability in Bobby that shoots straight to your heart.

A beautiful young woman in France is dying...but not fast enough!

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 21 June 2010]

Esteemed screenwriter Alvin Sargent, working from the novel "Heaven Has No Favourites" by Erich Maria Remarque, seems to have overdosed here on a cinematic double-feature of "A Man and a Woman" and "Love Story". American racecar driver Bobby Deerfield, in France to drive in the Grand Prix, refuses to get back on the track until it can be determined why another driver perished in a fiery crash; while visiting an injured comrade at a Swiss medical clinic, Bobby meets an enigmatic young woman who talks in riddles ("Are you sick?" he asks her. "Do I look sick?" she answers). Sydney Pollack has directed this film for its images, not its characters. We are offered a color-supplement spread of European bridges, canals, hotels, boats, and hot-air balloon rides in place of living, hurting people. In the lead, Al Pacino scratches the surface of a performance, but cannot dig any deeper with the ridiculous dialogue and situations he's been given (at one point, Pacino is required to do a Mae West impression, and even this falls flat). Beautiful Marthe Keller is the chipper but frightened, fading love-interest, who is not above flashing some skin. The movie attempts not to romanticize death but instead to romanticize the FEAR of dying. It's dead, all right. *1/2 from ****

So tantalising to watch

[raymond-15 · 7/10 · 31 August 2006]

This is the story of a racing car driver Bobby Deerfield (Al Pacino) who cheats on his unloved wife and finds solace in the arms of Lillian Morelli a strange and irresistible woman (Marthe Keller). In the long conversations where they explore each other's lives. Lillian asks incessant questions and invents dramatic events of her past life just to add interest and excitement to their exchange of ideas.

Lillian has a teasing manner and suggests that being a racing car driver must be extremely boring just going around in circles. Bobby finds her mannerisms strange at first but begins to realise that here is a woman of difference and he begins falling in love with her and seeks her out wherever she happens to be.

Bobby's journeys take him to some of the most romantic spots in France and Italy, beautiful vistas that really enhance the film.

The scene with the hot air balloons is a memorable one. Lillian invites him to join her in the basket but he refuses, somewhat put out by her unpredictable behaviour.

Wives have ways and means of discovering what their husbands have been up to and Bobby soon discovers that his wife knows more about this quirky woman than he does. We have here a very interesting and absorbing script.

The characters throughout are believable with Lillian doing the oddest things to alleviate any moments of boredom and Bobby completely bewildered by her antics and capacity to tell lies.

How many of us have been approached by strangers to take their photograph while on a holiday? And so it is here. In one happy romantic moment an American takes a snapshot and promises to send them a print. What follows rounds off a very enjoyable film.

It's almost so bad it's good, but mostly it's just plain bad.

[otter · 1/10 · 5 April 2000]

One of the most peculiar oft-used romance movie plots is this one: A seriously messed-up man falls in love with a terminally ill woman, who turns his life around before dying. Occasionally this story is done well and realistically (as in "The Theory of Flight", an excellent weepie), but more frequently it's done like it is here, where as usual the heroine dies of "Old Movie Disease". You know, the terminal illness that has no symptoms but one fainting spell and a need to lie down as you're telling your lover goodbye forever; and your looks aren't affected one bit (and since this is the 70's, neither is your sex life). This is one of the worst versions made of that particular story, where a very silly script puts two incompatible and unbelievable characters together, and they're played by actors who are completely at sea.

This has got to be the worst performance of Al Pacino's career, and I say that after having seen "The Devil's Advocate" only two days ago! He plays a control-freak, emotionally constipated race-car driver, and plays an unlikeable character lifelessly. He seems to constantly be asking himself why he's staying around the grating Marthe Keller (so does the audience), and spends most of the movie just... standing there, usually with his mouth hanging open. The only time he shows any sign of life is towards the end, where his character proves that he's changed from uptight to liberated by doing a hilariously bad Mae West imitation. Hey, it *was* the seventies!

Marthe Keller is equally terrible as the dying love interest; her character was conceived as bold and free and touching and uninhibited and full of life even though dying, and was probably meant to be played with an actress with the sensitivity of, say, Vanessa Redgrave or Julie Christie. Instead, they got the expressionless face and heavy German accent of Ms. Keller, who comes across as more of a scary Teutonic stereotype ("You VILL eat ze omelet!") than anything like lovable. She's supposed to be reforming Pacino and filling him with courage and spirit and all that, but it doesn't work that way, it's more like she's harping on his faults in the most obnoxious possible fashion. This makes for one of the least convincing romances in movie history, where you can't believe she'd be with someone she finds so worthless, and you can't believe he's with someone who gets on his nerves that much.

Some bad-movie fans call this a cult classic, mostly because of Pacino's silly "liberating" Mae West imitation. The scene is a scream, especially in context, but not worth sitting through the rest of the film for. No, only see the film if you're a serious bad-movie aficionado who is especially interested in studying Extreme Lack of Chemistry between leading actors, or Very Bad Casting (not only are the leads terrible, but Pacino's other girlfriend is played by an actress who looks and sounds just likes Keller with shorter hair, I got them totally confused). This isn't one of those laugh-a-minute bad movies like "The Conqueror", it's just a really, really bad movie.

The First Half Was Good

[vlevensonnd-87248 · 6/10 · 28 April 2020]

I watched this for the first time last night. The first half was good, interesting, and suspenseful, as he was trying to solve a mystery. Then he meets a woman who is completely annoying and agitating throughout the rest of the film. At first one may think that certainly she has something to do with the mystery and that she's trying to distract him, like the character this same actress plays in Marathon Man. Nope. There are no ties to it, and the movie just veers off in this other direction and this mystery is not really addressed or solved. The second half I found to be ridiculous and extremely anti-climatic. I was left with wondering, now what on earth is this movie trying to convey about this character??

For Once the Critics Were Right

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 1/10 · 16 July 2017]

I can recall when this movie was released to theaters. At the time Al Pacino was one of the hottest box office stars around. In the five years prior to this film he starred in THE GODFATHER 1 & 2, SCARECROW, SERPICO and DOG DAY AFTERNOON. So the odds are that he would have a turkey eventually. This is the giant turkey, one big enough to feed a family or two come Thanksgiving.

Pacino stars as formula race car driver Bobby Deerfield. Bobby lives the high life, plenty of fast cars and money, married to a top model and yet bored to death. When a friend is involved in a terrible crash, he goes to visit him in the hospital and there meets Lillian (Marthe Keller). Strongly attracted to her he tracks her down and insists on spending time with her.

The two begin an affair but Bobby soon discovers her reason for being reluctant to do so. Lillian has a terminal illness and the odds of her surviving are slim at best. And yet she lives her life to the fullest. She presses Bobby to do the same, to spend the time he has with her to discover life.

I won't reveal anything here about the plot but it has all been done before and much better. On top of that the movie is a snooze fest that was difficult to watch. Pacino can be one of the most dynamic performers ever seen on screen but here he's left to mope around and contemplate life, something that lends itself to boring to watch. Which this film is.

I was stunned to see the number of positive reviews for this film online. I remember when it was released it was savaged by critics and died an agonizing death at the box office. Seeing it I can see why. Word of mouth on this film had to have driven the nail in its coffin. It wasn't so much that I found myself dozing off at various moments in this film (though there were those moments) it's that I kept hoping something would happen that would draw my interest. I wanted to have characters that I cared about and yet I found myself not caring on iota about any of them. While potential tragedy with the lifestyles of the rich and famous should not interfere with feeling sympathy, here you find yourself with a lack of caring that matches those of the characters on screen.

Keller, on the rise prior to its release having done MARATHON MAN and BLACK Sunday never seemed to recover after this film. Pacino, a star by this time, was much more fortunate. Director Sydney Pollock also did well after. That's good news because had their careers been determined by this film we might not have ever heard from them again.

Twilight Time has again made a great presentation of this film for those that love it. If you are among those make sure you get a copy since as always they've limited the number of copies being made.

Lost and Forgot.. but a real GEM!

[leparrain5 · 9/10 · 11 February 2004]

Al Pacino is BOBBY DEERFIELD in this touching and moving film about a race car driver in a indifferent marriage who falls in love with Lillian (Marthe Keller). Deerfield buries his feelings and forgets his past until a reckless and passionate woman (Keller) who also lives in death's shadow shows him life's possibilities to the fullest. Beautiful scenes shot in France and Italy make this film even more romantic as well. As Pacino said during the filming of Bobby Deerfield, "I might have been closer to that character, what he was going through, than any character I've played". Why this film is not out on dvd is beyond me, it is fantastic. Funny and touchingly romantic. This was during Pacino's best years.

Should have a warning label

[Boyo-2 · 1/10 · 4 September 2001]

The entire thing is very beautiful to look at..the European location shooting was a good idea. The lead actors are attractive. The score is servicable.

BUT THEN THEY SPOKE! And the non-plot developed! And it was all downhill from there. Pacino is sleepwalking and Keller keeps talking about how bored she is..hello, dear, you're not alone. When he does a Mae West imitation, you might have to hide your face, its that painful to watch.

I can't imagine how either actor or director Sydney Pollack got involved with this, or a better question, why it ended up stinking so bad?

Since death is represented in almost every scene, one way or another, maybe you're supposed to have low enjoyment here. Maybe its supposed to feel as empty and cold as death. But I still can't recommend it.

A truly great film

[Gary-161 · 18 June 2002]

Charming, if slightly patronizing 70's drama. Superb direction. Subtle and understated script. Pacino at his most gorgeous. Howlingly funny, despite it's tragic subject matter. A memorable ending, brilliantly realised. I'd forgotten about the "look, it's Bobby Deerfield" scene as well as all that stuff about salami. Pacino's reactions, especially after first dropping off Marthe Keller at her uncles, are perfectly pitched, dead pan gems. Inexplicably maligned by many, this hidden jewel may be due a timely re-assessment, not least because Keller's performance now seems perfectly in tune with the Ritalin generation.

To be a great love story, the audience needs to care about the characters....and it's pretty difficult here.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 25 March 2022]

During the 1960s and into the 70s, several really great race films debuted which were set in Europe and which starred America actors, such as "Le Mans" (Steve McQueen) and "Grand Prix" (James Garner). While "Bobby Deerfield" is about Formula-1 racing, is set in Europe and stars a big America star (Al Pacino), it's not much like these other two films...mostly because the emphasis definitely is NOT on racing but on a relationship between the lead and a strange woman. It bombed with the public back in 1977 and isn't considered by many to be a classic...unlike these other race films. In fact, some consider it among Pacino's worst pictures. But is it really that bad? Is it worth your time?

Bobby (Pacino) has been a successful race driver in Europe and this does make you wonder why he isn't driving in the States. But regardless, his life is changed when he meets Lillian (Swiss actress, Marthe Keller).

Now the relationship between Bobby and Lillian that follows is very strange...as if it's between caricatures instead of real people. Lillian often talks in riddles or says outrageous things (such as her long rant about phallic imagery and car racing) and this makes her VERY difficult to believe or even care about at all. As for Bobby, it summed it up when he told her flat out that she was confusing him and what she said often didn't make any sense. It really feels like in many scenes that she's from some pretentious European art film and Pacino is just sitting there...baffled by the whole thing! I am sure audiences felt much the same.

So let's cut to the chase. Despite Lillian being, at best, an acquired taste, you eventually learn that she's dying and the film becomes a tragic romance, much like "Love Story". The problem is that by then, many viewers will dislike Lillian so much that they are left not caring...or hoping she'll go sooner than later! In addition, expecting Bobby to care so much seems to be a stretch.

Overall, a film that obviously confused a lot of viewers. Most, I assumed, were expecting a racing film with lots of action. Instead, there's practically no action and the film is about existential angst....which might appeal to folks to love Ingmar Bergman films but probably not people wanting to see a racing or Pacino picture. To me, it was boring and I felt very disconnected from the picture...and much of it was because I disliked Lillian so much. On the plus side, and there aren't a lot of pluses, the European locations made for a pretty film...so it's not a total waste of time.

By the way, if this film leaves you cold and you need a pick me up, try "Talladega Nights"...a race film that is pretty much the complete opposite in every possible way! Yes, there's romance and racing but otherwise you would NEVER mix up the two movies!!!

Deserves this rating

[mapmail · 1/10 · 1 June 2022]

One of those movies you start watching, expecting something wonderful, but finish it wishing to God you hadn't. Al Pachino is far too good an actor to have made a film this bad.

What a yawn !

[nicholas.rhodes · 2/10 · 20 March 2010]

I made a special effort to see this movie and was totally disappointed with the outcome. On paper, the script seems hopeful, and the choice of actors leaves one with hopes - I liked Pacino in Scent of a Woman and have seen Anny Duperrey and Marthe Keller in several French and other films of the 70s/80s. But I had forgotten how important a part dialogues can play in a film, and in this film they are absolute ..... trash ! The filming locations were also attractive but the hopeless, pretentious and forced dialogues pulled the whole thing down to sub zero level. In addition to that, I am pretty allergic to the world of motor racing and find no interest in this sport. Even the inelegant dialogues in "Love Story" were better than the ones in this film (and that's saying something !!). I was really expecting better from this film and was very disappointed to have been let down so much.

Compelling and original

[russell_jw · 9/10 · 10 July 2002]

Bobby Deerfield is not your average romantic drama especially when compared to the recent phase of Rom-Com's sweeping the screens at the cinemas.

Firstly, Al Pacino is at his best, highly intense and more importantly convincing as a character to accept. This is not surprising as his two other significant films of that decade were the masterful The Godfather and Godfather Part II. There seems to be something compelling in his role in this film which i cannot grasp to identify to you. Maybe because his co-star heightens our interest by their exchange of witty dialogue although i would point towards his stern expressions and calm voice which can explode in his characters few moments of glory.

Secondly, this film is not for the mass popcorn audience, the direction is obtuse and could be compared to the 'Art film' style that we struggle to view at all in popular culture. This is were the 'original' element of my comment of Bobby Deerfield spurs from. It is the fact that the mass audience wouldn't know what to do with the arbitrary meanings revealed. It is usually clear cut in 'Hollywood'.

To finish up, the romance and the character sparring is worth the time of a person who wants to be inspired or possibly take something away from a film that will last longer than the time it takes to see it.

This is a Great Film to Watch on Mute

[nak15 · 5/10 · 24 September 2001]

If you're looking for a film to leave on while you do other things, this

is your film. The costumes are beautiful and the films should be a

reference point for anyone studying 70s fashion. The shots are

wonderful and the cinematography is great. The race scenes are

fun to watch and really give the audience a visual feeling of a

Formula 1 race. And there are a lot of really good-looking people

in the film who move across the screen like a mixture of racecars

on a track and clouds in the sky. Unfortunately, the story is silly,

the dialogue is awful and the characters are irritating and

unlikable; one has to hold back the desire to slap the female lead

several times. Something for the true Pacino devotee. Ultimately I

gave it a 5.

An offbeat Pacino/Pollack work.

[dbdumonteil · 9 November 2002]

"Bobby Deerfield" enjoys,so to speak ,a very low rating on the site ,which is probably unfair.Pacino's usual characters and Bobby Deerfield are worlds apart.And coming after the brilliant " dog day afternoon" it could only be a let down.

I saw the movie when it was released and even at the time it seemed rather obsolete and old-fashioned.Adapted from an Erich Maria Remarque novel,it mixed a Douglas Sirkesque melodrama with French nouvelle vague with a bit of the long Cassavetes-like conversations thrown it. It's European to the core.Besides,the two actresses are Swiss (Keller) and French (Duperey).The former is the only interesting character of the movie but it's an endearing one:a short chat with a nurse tells us about her health ,but it will be an hour and a half before Pacino learns it.Keller's joie de vivre is infectious and sometimes the things soar.But it never really lasts and some scenes are boring.The metaphors are a bit ponderous ,as Keller is off on a balloon trip.The races -Deerfield is a race driver- are dully filmed and won't convince "Grand Prix"'s fans.

The best scenes are to be found in the hospital where Deerfield pays a visit to an injured friend,and then the small trip through the splendid landscapes of Switzerland .

Although BD cannot match Pollack's best works (they shoot horses don't they?;Jeremiah Johnson;This property is condemned)it's a whole lot better than later mediocre thrillers like "the firm".

Oh No!!!

[phibes012000 · 1/10 · 17 March 2005]

I really must watch a good movie soon, because it seems every other entry or so is something that I despise. However my history speaks, I must not tell a lie. Bobby Deerfield and everything about it sucks big green banana peels. I never thought that I would see a film thud as thunderously as this one did. Al Pacino isn't acting in this film: he's posing. There are many, many scenes of his character, who is a race car driver, just staring at the camera. He's perfectly awful. Marthe Keller is just as bad. These two are supposed to be in a love affair, and there is simply no chemistry whatsoever. Sydney Pollack directed this film? There's no trace of the genius behind Tootsie here. Is this the same man I cheered for in Eyes Wide Shut? I can hardly believe it. Save yourself a horrible movie experience. Run, don't walk, away from Bobby Deerfield.

The worst big-budget movie I ever saw in the theaters

[ralphsampson · 1/10 · 7 July 2001]

From beginning to end, this is the most emotionally overwrought movie about NOTHING I have ever seen. The characterizations and interactions between the title character and Marthe Kller's character are pure torture. The racetrack as metaphor gimmick is so overplayed that it borders on cliche, yet director Pollack treats every hairpin turn as if it were something profoundly important.

Maybe there's some value for a MSFT3000 re-playing of some of the scenes, such as Pacino getting in touch with his inner female, for goof value. But, even such accidental humor is hard to find in this total turkey.

It took a lot of talent to make a bad movie

[madsgormlarsen · 5/10 · 11 February 2022]

The book by Erich Maria Remarque is a beautiful and sad story that has been hacked to pieces in the screenplay Sydney Pollack is a great director however it is as if Pollack did not understand the beauty of the story the woman and her dresses and the man and his car We should have seen something akin to The Italian Job Lamborghini Miura in the mountains But Pollack does not seem to understand the love of cars Marthe Keller is wrong for the part you need someone so beautiful that it hurts to look at her perhaps a Michelle Pfeiffer Audrey Hepburn or Faye Dunaway Someone so beautiful that will make men casp for air The dresses that she hangs in her room should be like the dresses of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffanys

Al Pacino is certainly a great actor but I cant see him as a smooth operator race driver and he needs to be cool for this - we need a Poul Newman or Steve McQueen

This movie is missed opportunity it a great example that having all the right people does not bring a great movie.

Totally romantic

[HotToastyRag · 8/10 · 28 January 2019]

In prime 1970s fashion, the beginning of this movie, as well as many scene transitions, are shown with long shots, awkward zooms, lengthy silences, and random cuts. During the first ten minutes, I wondered what I was getting myself in for, besides two solid hours of Al Pacino eye candy. The good news is my hobby of staring at beautiful people on the screen won out, and I was rewarded by a really beautiful film . . . and two solid hours of Al Pacino eye candy.

Ladies, this is what a chick click looked like in the 1970s. A closed-off, cold racecar driver can't resist the kooky, outspoken woman he meets by chance, and his soul learns about love and life. If your boyfriend sits through this movie with you, keep him. There's nothing manly about this movie, even including the very brief racing scene and the presence of Al Pacino.

Somehow, director Sydney Pollack knew exactly what women in 1977 wanted to see and filmed it. Even despite the 1970s camera angles and the European pacing, this movie resonates with women. Every woman wants to meet a man who's lost his passion for life; every woman wants to be able to be completely herself, win the guy, and have him fall so desperately in love with her he'll feel his world will end without her. Every woman wants a man to look at her the way Al Pacino looks at Marthe Keller. Ladies, rent this movie, fall in love with Al Pacino, and then go rent Frankie and Johnny.

On a more serious note, this movie is a drama. I'd hate to recommend it and have some unsuspecting female watch it thinking it's on par with Pillow Talk. It's more on par with Love Story, but it's an infinitely better film. Marthe isn't annoying or riddled with an entitled attitude, and Al has so many layers of love, pain, gratitude, and sorrow in his expressions, it's just rude to compare him to Ryan O'Neal.

Al Pacino travels through Europe and does some race car races.

[c-conley90 · 5/10 · 8 June 2015]

Yeah, don't expect Days of Thunder from this movie. The cover lies so badly about this movie being some Le Mans, Days of Thunder, Grand Prix style racing movie but is more just a character drama with Al Pacino, Marthe Keller. And a travelogue through the backstreets of Europe. The fact the critics gave it a trouncing is surprising. They probably should have liked it. But this movie is certainly no winner. Al seems lost touring around Europe, getting concerned about a fellow driver who died on the track and why it happen, why it matters, is ultimately never explored. After all he meets this new dying sick crazy woman(Keller) at a hospital in the mountains seeing a fellow injured driver and acting depressed. Keller ultimately is able to bring Pacino out of the shell he's in figuratively, basically him being like a turtle as she says. Stuck behind his sunglasses and not responding with too much life. Plus, his brother shows up with a scene of possible problems within his family. I guess half of the scenes of Pacino going around places in Europe could have been edited, but that probably would of ruined the art appeal. It's OK, Pacino still does good. Though he's not hamming it up yet, hell, he doesn't even yell until a scene where Keller goes hot air ballooning and he pretty much loses it with her weird ass behavior. And yes she is really weird. Even for someone dying of a disease.