Just Between Friends (1986) User Reviews (16)

Pleasant enough - interesting in a historical sense

[barbecuedbanana · 5/10 · 27 September 2008]

The story wouldn't work if it was made now. I really thought this was a made for TV movie and was surprised to read here that it was released in cinemas. I don't remember it.

It does bring back to me the attitudes in place at the time. Although even when the film was made it was a little old fashioned even then. It seemed very odd that the Tyler Moore housewife was depicted as 'boring' when the Lahti career woman seemed much more dull and less open to new ideas and epxeriences. The housewife was active vibrant and had opinions on art etc while the career woman was single minded.

I don't know if it was deliberate but in actuality the career woman was confused and needy with an addictive personality, and the housewife was balanced and in control. Later the housewife suggests she wasn't independent enough - and yet it looked to me as though she was not only independent but supporting her whole family without realising it!! I agree with another comment - this would have been more interesting if the husband had lived and we had seen how this resolved under those circumstances.

I would hope that he would have been kicked into touch by both women. But I suspect the wife would have ended up with the best friend and the husband with the career woman and the wife would have lived happily ever after and the husband and career woman would have struggled along for a few years and then divorced.

Was this supposed to be a comedy? It didn't make me laugh at all.

Christine Lahti walks away with the picture

[jjnxn-1 · 7/10 · 10 March 2014]

Situational drama from MTM scribe Allan Burns in his only feature film. Seemingly conceived as a vehicle for Mary Tyler Moore it doesn't really reach that potential due to some fundamental errors in casting.

That's not to say that the casting of the other roles is bad, it's not but the problem is that Mary, while fine in her part, is about a decade too old for her character. Not to be ageist but from references made by Mary and Ted Danson's couple it's understood that they are supposed to be the same age and they are clearly not. It's a distraction that continues even after Danson is out of the film.

All that aside the film is entertaining, if not terribly inventive, thanks to the solid work of the cast. Beside Mary and Danson Sam Waterson is endearingly nervous and a bit twitchy as Ted's best friend. But the performer who strolls right in and takes control of the movie and walks away with it is the infinitely talented Christine Lahti. Both tough and vulnerable she cuts through any potential sugary elements the film risks falling into, and there are several opportunities along the way.

Overall a film that at times bears too close a resemblance to a TV movie of the week but is made worth catching by the strong performers.

Lifetime Movie? Sure, But Still Very Good

[missygoldstein · 7/10 · 1 April 2006]

Saw this movie when it came out and then a couple more times years later. I'm watching it now 20 years later and it's still a very good story. Does it wreak of "lifetime movie network"? Yes, but alas lifetime was not even in existence back then so it needed somehwere to air.

The cast was excellent. The story was a little schmaltzy; two women become close friends and unbeknownst to either one friend is having an affair with he other friends husband. She's invited over to the house for a dinner party which is how she discovers that her lover is the husband of her best friend. She is horrified and tries to break off the affair. Shortly afterwards he is tragically killed in a car accident which is devatating for both women. Of course the wife finds out by accident about this affair and wants Holly out of her life now, but their friendship is able to prevail because they need each other.

I thought it was a very good story a great cast and perfomrances. I really enjoyed it.

Unfairly overlooked

[Gary-161 · 7 February 2000]

The director allows his film to run on well after it has made it's point but it's punchy and immediate in a sitcom kind of way. Cast is great, especially the incomparable Lahti as a no nonsense tv reporter. Biting script has its moments. When asked by her grandmother to sing with the choir, Chip's daughter complains that she's atheist. "So? You can hum" replies grandma. The scene where the two illicit lovers accidently meet at a family dinner is a priceless gem, especially Danson being so distracted he puts the milk in the cupboard. A touching near fable on the need for forgiveness.

How dare you object to me sleeping with your husband! ...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 11 February 2017]

...This is what I remember the most about this film which I have not seen in a couple of decades. Career woman Sandy (Christine Lahti) and homemaker Holly (Mary Tyler Moore) become friends, in spite of the fact that they don't have that much in common. But they really do - Holly's husband Chip (Ted Danson). Chip is having an affair with Sandy but appears to still love his wife Holly. He's not a player, he just seems to be genuinely confused and in love with two women. Then Chip dies in an automobile accident one rainy night. Shortly thereafter Sandy discovers she's pregnant with Chip's child, and she decides to give birth to and raise the baby. Holly finds this out too and is - I wouldn't call it outraged, more like bowled over.

Sandy however is shocked! shocked I say! that Holly thinks she has even an opinion in this matter. She says terribly hurtful things to Holly and basically walks on her like she is a rug. Was Sandy expecting Holly to throw a baby shower for this woman who was bedding her seemingly happy husband? Later in the movie it is revealed that mistress Sandy never found the sex with Chip that hot, while Holly is trying to come to terms with her late husband's infidelity by mentioning that things were red hot in the bedroom so that could not have been the problem.

In the meantime, the two women move away from the extremes of their personalities. Sandy moves to a healthier lifestyle given her condition, and Holly becomes more independent and even opens her own aerobics studio.

Do these two women ever reconcile, and if so, how, given what has passed between them? Watch and find out. I remember it as above average Lifetime style 80's entertainment, but the thing that sticks out the most is Sandy's anger towards Holly once everything is out in the open when you think it would be the other way around.

Two women pine over a cad

[lth25 · 7/10 · 3 April 2006]

Christine Lahti (Sandy Dunlap) and Mary Tyler Moore (Holly Davis) worked well with soapish material, Ted Danson did his best with a thankless role of Chip Davis The premise of this that the two ladies' friendship, one a seemingly happily married woman and the other a career woman who is aware of her biological clock ticking. I found the relationship that Ted Danson's character had with the single woman played by Christine Lahti's rather sordid. He behaved in a caddish way, yet he left two "widows" pining over him, bawling. I found it revolting when when Sandy told him she wanted to break it off after meeting his wife, he calls her saying he misses her (did he call his wife? There was no sign of that). He behaved like a heel. It perhaps would have made a more interesting film had he not been killed off. Perhaps both ladies would have wised up and dumped him. I liked the friendship between the two ladies but it was spoiled by what they had in common: The Cad of a husband.

Superficial comedic soaper...

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 1 April 2006]

Writer-director Allan Burns seems to have patched together two different scripts about sisterhood and infidelity/betrayal. Christine Lahti plays a crass, cynical TV news reporter who makes friends with aerobics instructor Mary Tyler Moore; soon, she's having dinner with her new friend's family, only to discover Moore's husband is Lahti's married lover. Burns has a strange, stop-and-start rhythm to his dialogue which is neither realistic nor effective (just increasingly annoying, because nothing important seems to get said). Rail-thin Mary, looking alarmingly frail in her leotard, has a radiant smile but doesn't convince as Ted Danson's wife (and he's stuck with a paltry, thankless role, merely present as the cad). The movie attempts to cover all its bases in a classic case of overreaching (a woman's role in the workplace, the TV news-biz, the cheating family man, the working wife and mother who wants more, a woman's need for female friendships, et al), but nothing substantial comes of these ideas since Burns only half-heartedly examines the issues. As a writer, Burns is surprisingly free of punchlines; however, his script is uncertain of its purpose, and the heavy plotting just gets all fouled up. *1/2 from ****

A little on the soapy side, but watchable.

[Gideon24 · 6/10 · 8 March 2015]

1986's Just Between Friends is a soapy, but somewhat effective melodrama about a television anchorman named Chip Davis (Ted Danson), who is married with 2 children, who drifts into an affair with another reporter at the station named Sandy(Christine Lahti). Almost simultaneously, Sandy begins taking an exercise class that's being taught by Chip's wife Holly (Mary Tyler Moore) and, of course, Sandy and Holly become instant friends. Once Sandy learns who Holly is married to, she tries to end the affair, but before it officially ends, Chip is killed and not long after that, Sandy learns she is pregnant with Chip's child.

This film is a throwback to the films that Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins made together like The Old Maid and Old Acquaintance, or some of Lana Turner's most famous work, but basically it just comes off as a Lifetime TV movie. Now I like a good chick flick just as much as anyone, but this one is just so corny and predictable. The one thing that does make it worth sitting through is a terrific performance by Lahti, who brings a surprising depth to the role of Sandy and works very hard at making this film more than just another chick flick and she almost succeeds...

Filled With Clichés & Screams: "Lifetime Television For Women!"

[Blooeyz2001 · 5/10 · 12 May 2002]

This movie has the unlikely premise of two woman becoming friends all the while unaware that they're in love with the same man. Mary Tyler Moore is Holly, the wife. Christine Lahti is Sandy the girlfriend. Ted Danson (ugly as ever) is Chip. This movie wants you to believe that a woman who is career driven, has a foul mouth, lives on junk food, chain smokes, wears funky (a.k.a. ugly) clothes & has big hair she's automatically "interesting" (Sandy). If she's married & loves her husband, lives a healthy lifestyle, has two teenage kids & a beautiful home, doesn't work outside that home, & is a kind person she's "boring" (Holly). The message is pretty twisted. This movie is loaded with clichés, is unrealistic & has a TV movie feel to it even though it was released in theaters. Despite it's flaws, the soap opera plot does keep you interested, but the storyline drags on at times.

a study of relationships.

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 19 October 2021]

Written and directed by allan burns. Was nominated for a little romance. Burns had worked with mary moore on her own show, as well as the spinoffs, rhoda, phyllis, and about half the tv series ever made. When holly (mtm) brings home a friend and tries to play matchmaker with a friend of her husband (danson), it backfires. There are complications that holly didn't know about. And they are simmering, bubbling, just waiting to pop open. Co-stars sam waterson (hopscotch, grace and frankie) and christine lahti (oscar winner and nominee!). And then more stuff happens. Good stuff. And bad stuff. Funny and typical conversation between holly and her own mom. Mtm was nominated for her role in ordinary people. And of course, she made change of habit with elvis! Shows on epix streaming. It's good. Some sadness. But a good look at relationships, marriages, friendships.

Pleasant Enough

[mikegone-35002 · 5/10 · 23 August 2022]

While I enjoyed the movie, it is clear Mary Tyler Moore's character is supposed to be around 10 years younger than the actress actually was at the time of filming. In the film she spoke of having another child and at 50 (As she was when this was filmed), that wasn't likely at the time. Christine Lahti and Sam Waterston shined as supporting characters. Definitely worth the watch.

Great, interesting story

[HotToastyRag · 8/10 · 24 October 2017]

I remember watching a movie starring Mary Tyler Moore with my mom; I turned to her and said, "She's the lady from Ordinary People, right?" My mom cracked up and told me that was like someone saying, "Jane Fonda's the lady who does exercise videos, right?" As embarrassing as it is to admit, I've never seen Mary Tyler Moore's television work, so I only know her as a dramatic actress.

In Just Between Friends, two women become friends during an exercise class. They get along so well that Mary invites Christine Lahti over to her house for a small dinner party and to meet her family. Mary introduces her two children and husband, Ted Danson, but there's a problem. Ted and Christine already know each other. They've been having an affair! The dinner party scene when the two lovers are "introduced" is absolutely hilarious.

As Ted tries to reconcile his feelings for both women, with his best friend Sam Waterston giving advice, Christine has to handle her guilt now that she's been exposed to Ted's happy home. Does she break things off? Does she tell Mary what's going on? Watch this fantastic film and find out that some issues are best handled just between friends.

Writer-director Allan Burns created three-dimensional characters and a very fascinating, emotional plot. The story will really make you think, and the acting is fantastic. Watch the preview to see if you'd like it, but if we share similar taste, I'm sure you will.

Very good film, but I don't really want to see MTM in skin tight aerobic gear

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 2 August 2016]

I saw the name Mary Tyler Moore, and I decided to watch this film, not realizing that it was a horror film. Well, it's not really a horror film, but to be honest, having to watch Mary Tyler Moore in skin tight workout clothes for as long as we do...well, it was a horrifying experience.

Other than that, this is a pretty decent film, although once again I have to shoot down whomever it is that describes films for the various cable channels. Is there a bit of humor in this film? Sure, because there is humor in everyday life. But this is NOT a "comedy-drama", and whoever described it as such is a moron.

This film is a slightly different twist on the normal love triangle theme. Two women become friends at an exercise gym. The third wheel learns fairly early on that, by coincidence, she is having an affair with the man married to her new friend. She drops the affair. The friendship between the two women grows until the married woman goes to clean out her husband's place of work and she discovers evidence her friend and husband were having an affair. Finis friendship! But the third wheel is pregnant, and over time the two friends bridge their differences.

It's all handled rather well, except for one scene where the mistress is paying back some interest on a loan...that scenes just seems so contrived. In fact, except for that scene and all the aerobics with the infinitely skinny Moore (yes, I realize she was diabetic), this is a darned good film.

Mary Tyler Moore is very good as the wife. I think we sometimes forget that she could be equally good in either comedy or drama because she focused mostly on the former.

Christine Lahti's performance here is a little less even. When she was in her grump, I thought there was a tad bit of overacting, but overall pretty good.

Ted Danson as the husband was satisfactory. Sam Waterston was also good as the best friend.

This won't end up on my DVD shelf, but it was a good film.

Menage a Ted.

[dunmore_ego · 5/10 · 11 December 2009]

What happens when two MILFs discover they're bonking the same man? Unbridled pouting.

In JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS, MILF #1, Sandy (Christine Lahti), befriends MILF #2, her aerobics instructor Holly (TV legend Mary Tyler Moore), only to discover, through a series of mildly comic circumstances, that they are both involved with the same man - #2's husband, Chip (Ted Danson).

Sam Waterston is Chip's unassuming shy pal, who is the "fourth wheel." in this farce that turns poignant and then strangely detached.

As a not-so-subtle metaphor, Chip is a seismologist, always talking about aftershocks, which is exactly what displaces these peoples' lives.

For all the dire circumstances these characters are put through, I can't figure whether they are acting "realistic" in their detachment, or just not getting crazy enough to be believable. Written and directed by Allan Burns, FRIENDS has to get very tragic for its ironies to play themselves out.

Plot points you can see coming: single mother Sandy laments that she would like to get pregnant but there are no suitable men about (the type of talk that inspires a man to leave the room in a daze of hyper-boredom), and finds that Holly's husband has made her pregnant.

Plot points you can't see coming, but that don't matter anyway: Sam Waterston's character is so shy you wonder how he ever got married, let alone sired a child, yet after innumerable jump cuts, we catch up with him divorced, with a hefty beard, and involved with the two MILFs almost as intimately as Chip was.

Shots of both MILFs in tight aerobics gear or tiny panties should keep this film interesting to a demographic not yet worried about mortgages.

--Review by Poffy The Cucumber (for Poffy's Movie Mania).

Justly forgotten

[preppy-3 · 3/10 · 2 November 2005]

Boring, utterly predictable soap opera. Mary Tyler Moore is married to Ted Danson who's having an affair with Christine Lahti. Moore is friends with Lahti and doesn't know about the cheating. Danson dies in an accident and Lahti is pregnant with his baby. YAWN!

I'm ashamed to admit I paid money to see this in a theatre in 1986. I liked all three stars but even their considerable talents couldn't pull this off. I CONSTANTLY knew what was going to happen. Like another poster said--this plays like a PG-rated Lifetime movie.

It does have Lahti swearing nonstop at one point and even Moore lets loose once! Also there's a pointless shots of topless women playing football (!!!). Other than that it's TV friendly. The only good thing about this was Timothy Gibbs playing Moore and Danson's teenage son. Very handsome and quite a good actor. That aside there's nothing to recommend this. You've seen it before...and done better. It's obviously been forgotten. Skip it.

Soap-opera plot, but successfully brought off

[pedernalesl · 8/10 · 14 February 2005]

Although the premise of the movie involves a major "coincidence," the actors all do a creditable job and look great bringing the story to life. I found myself rooting for the characters played by Mary Tyler Moore and Christine Lahti, empathizing with both, and wanting them to reconcile. Sam Waterston and Ted Danson are fine in their roles as well, doing a decent job with the stereotypical buddy relationship. While the story tends to leap through time, occasionally leaving the audience perhaps a little hungry for missing detail, it still flows and avoids any real confusion. This interesting storyline has all the elements for a good "chick flick."