Pretty Good

Good concept, poorly executed.

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

i disagree with those who were so put off by the rape scene that they cannot give the movie a positive review. remember this movie was made over 30 years ago at the height of the sexual revolution (i'm not excusing it). mazursky is a very interesting and unique writer/director who is responsible for some really excellent films, to wit: moscow on the hudson, down and out in beverly hills, an unfinished woman and next stop greenwich village. to me this movie has it all, great music, excellent acting and one of the funniest scenes i have ever seen in a movie when george segal, as a divorce attorney tries to calm his client, shelly winters. you'll enjoy it, trust me. p.s. the key word in some of those other reviews is "self-indulgent."

I have never forgotten the scene where Susan Anspach glides gracefully across the screen towards George Segal to the accompaniment of Wagner's Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde. The glorious climax of the music was timed to coincide with the exact moment of their meeting and was, for me, the highlight of the film. Three thumbs up to whomever decided on it's use!

"Blume In Love" (1973) begins in Venice, Italy as Blume (George Segal) talks about how this most romantic place changes the way couples think of sex and love while they are visiting. As the movie pushes along Blume talks about his divorce from his ex-wife Nina Blume (Susan Anspach) and his regret from having an extra-marital affair. We also see images of Nina and Blume's honeymoon to Venice. But now Blume is back in Venice on his own after Nina had asked him to leave for a couple of weeks so she could work things out. The rest of the movie contains flashbacks of before and after the divorce.I have seen one other film by Paul Mazursky [Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)], which was a film that dealt with two couples experimenting in sexual freedom. "Blume In Love" is about a divorce-lawyer named Blume (Segal) who suffers from impotence and despair after he is divorced from his beloved Nina (Anspach). He "can not live without her" he exclaims, and "would rather die if he can't have her back." And dying is something Blume doesn't want, so he has to win her back. He eventually wins her back in an ending that is either ambivalent to the viewer, joyous or they are repulsed by it as was the reviewer before me. It was a very romantic and happy ending, but it was far from realistic"Blume In Love" is a well-directed film by writer and director Paul Mazursky. The performances by Susan Anspach, George Segal and Kris Kristofferson as Elmo are all wonderful. Kris Kristofferson's Elmo is a very likeable character. His easy-going, laid back "Nothin' To It" look on life is a sharp contrast to the emotional conflict between Nina and Blume. Elmo is a traveling musician who moves in with Nina after she divorces Blume. He enjoys playing his music and having a good time. Blume ends up liking him too, and uses him as a reason to come and visit Nina to win her back.In the end this was a story about a man desperately trying to win his ex-wife back. He will do everything possible to do so. Along the way we follow him through his despair and sometimes we laugh at it and sometimes we cry.Directed and written by Paul Mazursky. (Mazursky himself plays Segal's law partner.)

I have enjoyed Paul Mazursky's direction on a few occasions, notably in Harry and Tonto. I like his work in Blume in Love as well, but am close to being disgusted with the repulsive ending. George Segal plays Blume, an obnoxious ex-husband of Susan Anspach. He has an overactive libido that gets him in trouble in this film in more ways than one. He spends the majority of the movie pining over the loss of his wife while comprehending why he can't perform sexually the way he wants to. The end of the story really got my goat (and yes, there is another goat in this picture I won't comment on here). Rape is no laughing matter, committed by anyone no matter what the situation. This film made light of the whole occurrence, and made Kris Kristofferson (Anspach's live-in boyfriend) look like a putz. To top it all off, the film ends happily, with the wrong people (immorally) getting back together. I would have been more content if the film stayed on its obsessive keel, maybe even if it went into a screwball comedy. Unfortunately, it traverses into absurdity and non-sensical behavior. I enjoyed the first half of this, had a bit of a titter or two, but was most displeased in Blume in Love's finish. Rating: Two stars.