Only When I Laugh (1981)
- Starring:
- Marsha Mason, Kristy McNichol, (more)
- Director(s):
- Glenn Jordan, Vernon Lawrence, (more
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
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Theatrical Release Information | See Details About All Versions
Playwright Neil Simon made one of his periodic forays into serious themes with the drama The Gingerbread Lady, and while this screen adaptation adds a bit more wit to the proceedings, it remains a change of pace from his usual breezy comedies. Georgia (Marsha Mason) is a successful actress who has just spent 90 days in a rehab clinic in an effort to beat her addiction to alcohol. A number of crises are waiting for Georgia upon her return; her teenage daughter Polly (Kristy McNichol), whom she neglected as a child, wants to move back in, though they still have a ways to go in repairing their relationship. And her ex-husband David (David Dukes), a writer, has just penned a new drama that he wants her to star in -- a fictionalized version of their often-combative marriage. Georgia also has to tend to her best friends, bitter socialite Toby (Joan Hackett) and Jimmy (James Coco), a gay actor who drowns his sorrows in food. Only When I Laugh garnered Oscar nominations for Mason, Coco, and Hackett, while the latter won a Golden Globe for her performance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast:
- Marsha Mason - Georgia
- James Coco - Jimmy
- David Dukes - David
- Kevin Bacon - Don
- Ed Moore - Dr. Komack
- Peter Coffield - Mr. Tarloff
- John Vargas - Manuel
- Ellen La Gamba - Receptionist
- Michael Ross - Paul
- Nancy Nagler - Heidi
- Venida Evans - Nurse Garcia
- Kristy McNichol - Polly
- Joan Hackett - Toby
- John Bennett Perry - Lou, the actor
- Guy Boyd - Man
- Byron Webster - Tom
- Mark Schubb - Adam Kasabian
- Birdie M. Hale - Super's Wife
- Dan Monahan - Jason
- Henry Olek - George the Director
- Rebecca Stanley - Denise Summers
- Tom Ormeny - Kyle
- Director(s):
- Glenn Jordan, Vernon Lawrence
- Writer(s):
- Neil Simon, Eric Chappell
- Producer(s):
- Roger M. Rothstein, Neil Simon, Vernon Lawrence
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Adult Language, Brief Nudity, Profanity, Adult Situations, Adult Humor, Questionable for Children)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
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- 1981 - Only When I Laugh - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
