No one wrote characters quite like Neil Simon – whether in his plays or the original screenplays he worked on during the peak of his career, his work was always filled to the brim with wise-cracking, urbane characters plucked directly from the mind of a writer who perhaps knew the art of creating memorable characters more than any of his contemporaries. There is a reason his name is synonymous with quality, since even the projects that were deeply flawed carry with them a specific kind of charm and candour, which can only come from someone perpetually in control of his medium. In the case of The Goodbye Girl, we see Simon putting together a film that is very much within his wheelhouse – an original screenplay, rather than one based on an existing stage production (which was far more common at the time), the film tells the story of an eccentric actor and jaded former dancer that find themselves having quite a challenging introduction when it turns out they are both intending to occupy the same apartment – she has been left there after her flighty lover abandoned her and her precocious young daughter, while he has been given the keys as part of a rushed subletting deal that seemed legitimate at first, but is proven to be the product of someone who didn’t plan properly, which forces our protagonists to come to the compromise of sharing the apartment. The duo struggle to live together at first, but it soon becomes clear that they are kindred spirits, and have a lot to offer one another. Brought to the screen by Herbert Ross, who had worked on a few Simon-written projects on both stage and screen, The Goodbye Girl is a charming and captivating excursion into the mind of the post-war generation, focusing on the baby boomers as they come of age and do their best to keep themselves afloat, in spite of the challenges that surround them, which leads to many fascinating decisions as Ross and Simon are in search of something quite profound.

The Goodbye Girl contains the quintessential Simon story – it takes place in New York City in the 1970s, and is an upbeat comedy about smart but feisty individuals navigating their way through the proverbial “mean streets” of the Big Apple, finding a kinship along the way. Coming from someone whose most known work is The Odd Couple, which carries so much cultural cache it has inspired an entire narrative trope of its own, this film is parred for the course when it comes to encapsulating the kinds of works that Simon relished in creating. He was a superbly gifted and very strong writer, so even when he is writing something within his wheelhouse, it feels so energetic and compelling, and he remains one of the few playwrights whose contributions to cinema have not only been marginal, but active and iconic all on their own. Looking at any of the films based on his work, the theatrical origins are clear, since many of them take place in restricted settings and focus on only a small handful of characters. Even in something like The Goodbye Girl, which was written for the screen (and then subsequently adapted into a stage musical nearly two decades later), we can find these distinctive characteristics that define his work, but never limit them. It does help that he usually worked with very strong directors, with Gene Saks, Mike Nichols (who was initially slated to direct the earlier version of the film that would become The Goodbye Girl) and Herbert Ross were very effective collaborators, since much like Simon, they had experience across both film and theatre, and never approached this material as being an elevation to a supposedly superior medium, but rather a transition, one that allows the story to gain certain advantages, while losing others in the process. Ross was a terrific journeyman director, and The Goodbye Girl captures a lot of the spirit of his work, with his admiration for the simplicity of framing and construction of a film being extraordinary. He usually operated under the belief that, if the writing is strong and the actors are up to the task, the most simple approach would be more than sufficient, which is proven numerous times in this film, which represents some of Ross’ most charming and fascinating work as a director.

However, the root of everything that makes The Goodbye Girl so effective still undoubtedly lies with the writer, whose name is perhaps the one that we most associate with this film (as well as many others that he was involved in, whether directly or merely by proxy – how many writers can truly lay claim to being a marquee name, enough to the point of entire films being marketed around their involvement), and whose presence in itself feels like the driving force behind the film, much more than the director, who was essentially just a figurehead. Simon’s work spans across both comedy and drama, and takes place in a number of eras and milieux, which makes it quite difficult to pinpoint a specific style that can be asserted onto the writer. If anything, the traits that bind his works together are not necessarily narrative so much as they are philosophical and thematic, with the main conceptual thread that ties all of his work together (across theatre, film and television) is that, regardless of when and where they are set, they are about finding the value of a human connection. We can very easily take a film like The Goodbye Girl at face value, viewing it primarily as a conventional romantic comedy, filled with the same tropes and structural similarities that came to define this genre, and it undeniably remains just as moving and compelling at the most fundamental level. Yet, we are constantly invited to look deeper, finding the real message that lingers at the heart of this film, which is primarily centred on the art of falling in love with someone, despite them coming from the most unlikely of places, not necessarily in terms of geographical origin, but rather psychologically and in terms of temperament. The characters at the heart of The Goodbye Girl are both profoundly lonely artists dedicated to their craft, but who start to realize that not everyone with passion will be able to achieve their ambitions, and some are destined to fade into obscurity. Simon’s great gift is giving us two profoundly untalented, mediocre characters and convincing us that they were destined to be stars, and when they forge the connection between them when they both realize they have so much in common, the film is truly at its most incredible.

While their characters may be mediocre in terms of their artistic talent, neither of the two leads at the heart of The Goodbye Girl could be described as such. Both Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss represent a very specific kind of actor, the category of journeyman performer that didn’t have the dashing good looks of a great movie star, but who had an abundance of talent and charisma in other areas, which may have put them in the company of the supporting players in previous decades, but was the exactly quality needed during the New Hollywood movement, which had many artistic intentions, primary among them being the process of finding leading stars in unconventional places. No one could look at either of the two leads and see them as conventional stars, and even in terms of the characters they are playing, they seem to be tailor-made for the supporting cast – but yet their talent shines through, and in casting two relatively unorthodox actors in this romantic comedy, Ross and Simon find new depths to which they can take this genre. This isn’t even a matter of appearance – both Dreyfuss and Mason possess a very different kind of charm, one that was rarely seen in leading roles, and were usually reserved for scene-stealing supporting roles. This is one of the many great qualities of a Simon script – he writes characters based on their originality rather than their ability to fit into a preconceived mould of what a romantic lead should be, which adds so much complexity to a genre that was often skirting around being quite hackneyed at the best of times. Whether or not this is the best work for either actor is a matter of interpretation – on a personal level, I have rarely seen Dreyfuss turn in a better performance, whereas Mason is exceptional here, but even more brilliant in some of her other films. However, it’s undeniable that they have wonderful chemistry, and commit themselves wholeheartedly to creating this memorable, captivating comedy about human connection, a subject that is a lot more common in these films than we initially would expect.

Clean, concise and always bitingly funny, there is a reason The Goodbye Girl is such a cherished work, and one that has been considered a hallmark of the romantic comedy genre. It seems almost unfortunate that it was released at roughly the same time as Annie Hall, in which Woody Allen quite decisively sets the foundation for the gold standard of the genre, especially in terms of dialogue-heavy, New York-set narratives about the trials and tribulations of a pair of unconventional lovers as they navigate both social and philosophical quandaries that eventually form the foundation of their relationship. However, this film goes in its own direction much of the time, with the romance being mainly kept to the third act, with only incidental conversations of love being seen prior to that. The Goodbye Girl stands as its own masterful examination of not only romance – which is a concept that many have tried to explore but very few have ever provided a holistic depiction of the experience of being in love – but of the human condition as a whole. The emotions are tender and meaningful, and the humour is razor-sharp and always delivered right on time, with the combination of the two producing a funny but heartwarming depiction of two people not only learning to live with one another (both literally and metaphorically), but realizing how much they love each other, which may seem predictable, but at the very least serves to be the foundation on which the entire film is constructed, which is done with wit, candour and genuine, earnest admiration for the material. The Goodbye Girl is one of the signature comedies of the 1970s, a captivating portrayal of the different kinds of relationships we encounter, and a neat guide on how to maintain these connections, since they are essentially what propels life as a whole. Well-acted, beautifully written and always willing to go the extra mile to show its depth, this film is quite exceptional, and a wonderful reminder of the virtue of a genuine human connection.