Ed Uyeshima Watching Jill Clayburgh relegated to playing Kristen Wiig's pixilated, supportive mother in her last posthumous screen appearance in "Bridesmaids" made me flashback briefly to how vibrant a screen presence she was for that brief period between the late seventies and early eighties when the actress represented the feminist ideal on the big screen. For this 1978 dramedy, director/screenwriter Paul Mazursky bypassed several then-bigger names to cast Clayburgh as Erica, an affluent, late-thirtyish Manhattan woman who looks to be leading a charmed life – wife to Martin, a successful stockbroker; mother to Patti, a precocious fifteen-year-old daughter, and part-time employee at a Soho art gallery. However, in one flash of a moment as she talks of summer rental plans on Fire Island, a suddenly bereft Martin collapses and reveals he is in love with another woman, leaving Erica shattered as she battles between reason and rejection with her barely concealed anger.From that point forward in the movie, Mazursky and Clayburgh take us on a hazardous journey of self-discovery which may appear predictable now after hundreds of Lifetime TV-movies but was quite groundbreaking at the time. True, there is a self-satisfying tone to a few of the scenes, especially the inevitable ones with Erica's bohemian, overly serene therapist, but what transcends those glitches is the honesty that permeates her comically awkward attempts at dating, her overreaction to Patti's sexual awakening, and the confessional conversations she has with her circle of best friends, an obvious inspiration for Michael Patrick King in "Sex and the City". The last quarter of the film gets a bit soft and talky, but the ambiguous ending is classic Mazursky.The performances still hold up very well after all these years with Clayburgh at her undeniable peak fulfilling all the dimensions of an emotionally rich role. Michael Murphy has the unenviable task of playing Martin as both an adulterous weasel and a misguided fool, but he manages it well. As Saul, the popular modern artist who comes to embody everything ideal in an emotionally available male, Alan Bates handles a comparatively easier job with remarkable restraint. A popular child actress at the time, Lisa Lucas plays Patti with brittle sharpness, while Kelly Bishop, Pat Quinn and Linda Miller portray Erica's pals with believable dexterity. Only Cliff Gorman seems rather over-the-top as a lecherous artist on the make for the newly single Erica. The 2006 DVD thankfully offers a lively and informative commentary track from Mazursky and the late Clayburgh as well as the original theatrical trailer.

aboutagirly Jill Clayburgh plays an affluent New Yorker whose life crumbles when her husband reveals that's he's having an affair and wants a divorce. What's a woman to do when everything she's built her life around is suddenly whisked away? This feminist anthem from Paul Mazursky is well meaning but also condescending. It's a movie that was clearly made by a man, and it's a man's guess at what a feminist awakening would look and feel like, rather than the real thing. Therefore, it records Clayburgh's emotional development with the neatness of a house wife checking off items on a grocery list, and even throws in a lesbian daughter just to prove that there are women out there who don't need men at all, as if that's even remotely what feminism is about.Clayburgh is game, but she's better than the movie.

boiler74 Somehow I missed "An Unmarried Woman" when I was a senior in college, but I remember hearing about it. Finally, about five years ago, I was flipping through the channels, and I happened upon this gem. I realize some people might consider this film "dated," but other than period pieces, all movies are eventually "dated" in one aspect or another.I thought Jill Clayburgh was gorgeous and showed herself to be quite a feisty "Erica Benton." Michael Murphy as her husband Martin was extremely annoying and self-centered, but that was his role and the whole reason wife Erica was sent into the world of unmarried women.I enjoyed the music, the setting, and the general feeling of having lived through that time (1977-1978). Sadly, several key actors from the film are gone (Alan Bates, Cliff Gorman, Penelope Russianoff), but this movie will live on as it captured the post-Vietnam era quite well. It sounds odd now to say the movie was a breakthrough for women, but for its time, it was pretty controversial.It's nice to see Jill Clayburgh active on Broadway and the silver screen once again. I'm looking forward to her role on the upcoming TV series "Dirty Sexy Money." I can't wait to see her in scenes with "Six Feet Under" star Peter Krause!

giffey-1 I have loved this movie since I saw it in the theater in 1978. I was a 17 year old guy who felt this film had something to say to me too. Jill Clayburgh is magnificent in this film. I have always been drawn to films with strong female characters and I believe this is one of the finest. Jill should have won the Oscar. Even Jane Fonda in a preOscar interview said, when asked on her chances of winning, "No, I think Jill Clayburgh will win, she gave the best performance." But all of the acting is of a uniformly high caliber. Michael Murphy, as the husband, gave a realistic portrayal of a man who struggles with his feelings of a man who is trapped by his feelings for his new love, even though he would never want to hurt is wife. Cliff Gorman and Alan Bates also brings wonderful readings to their characters as well.I have read several comments here that make it appear to me that people don't like the ending. Yes, it would have been nice if the painting had been delivered to her apartment, but I see her carrying the painting, and especially as she whirls with it at first, as Erika's dance of liberation. That she is by herself, and she is okay with herself. It's only my opinion, but that's how I see it. A wonderful film, that to me has not dated.