Falling in Love (1984) — Paris McGarry

Midtown, Manhattan

Falling in Love is the ultimate positive spin on a cheating film. The thing about the cheating in this film is that I don’t think the film does a particularly convincing job of setting up why we’re supposed to root for the couple who cheats, yet Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro as the two cheating leads are hard not to get behind. Aside from being the ultimate cheater film, it’s also the ultimate New York City commuter film. Both romantic leads live in the suburbs and meet and romance on the MetroNoth commuter train. There are a lot of scenes at Grand Central Station, mostly near the tracks. Their meet-cute happens at the Rizzoli bookstore on Christmas Eve. I think this film also needs to be added to the list of films to watch at Christmas. At the end of the day, the film follows a very similar storyline (and even has similar Christmas elements) as Serendipity. Love happens not at the right place or the right time but is destined beyond explanation and without much understanding of how their bond is formed. Steep’s character also made me think of a stereotypical Libra romantic lead: indecisive, eager to please, and a total flirt.

Director Ulu Grosbard is a Belgium filmmaker who made other independent films such as the Mirimax-produced Georgia (1995) starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, True Confessions (1981), a few years before Falling in Love and also starring Robert De Niro as well as Robert Duvall. His first film in 1968 called The Subject Was Roses starred Patricia Neal and Martin Sheen. Then Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? in 1971 starring Dustin Hoffman, Barbara Harris, and Jack Warden and then Straight Time in 1978 starring Dustin Hoffman, Theresa Russell, Harry Dean Stanton, and Gary Busey. Finally, his last film was shot in 1999 called The Deep End of the Ocean starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Whoopi Goldberg to round out his short but star-studded career. He went on to direct mostly theater.

Writer Michael Cristofer is best known for writing The Witches of Eastwick (1987) starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer, romance films Mr. Jones (1993) starring Richard Gere, Lena Olin, and Anne Bancroft and Breaking Up (1997) starring Russell Crowe and Salma Hayek, Gia (1998) starring Angelina Jolie and Original Sin (2001) starring Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie. He also went on to work in theater and has a lengthy acting career as well.

Frank (Robert De Niro) and Molly (Meryl Streep)

Molly (Meryl Streep) and Frank (Robert De Niro)

Frank (Robert De Niro) and Ann (Jane Kaczmarek)