Chapter Two

Plot synopsis:
George Schneider is an author living in New York City whose hours are occupied by his work, by softball games in the park and visits from his married brother Leo, a press agent who has been trying to introduce widower George to eligible women. George's emotions are still raw from the death of his wife, and he continues to be reminded of her.
George is given the phone number of a Jennie MacLaine, an actress Leo recently met through her friend Faye Medwick, and dials it accidentally while intending to call someone else. After an awkward exchange, he repeatedly phones Jennie to explain why he called, even though she makes it clear that she, too, has no interest in a blind date. George's persistence results in her accepting his proposal of a "five-minute" date, face-to-face. If that doesn't go well, he promises to leave her alone.
They meet at her apartment and immediately hit it off. Jennie is recently divorced from a professional football player. George asks her for a traditional date and she accepts. At dinner, he explains how Leo has set him up on a number of disastrous dates, so he now finds himself pleasantly surprised to be with someone like her.
Leo is pleased and so is Faye, whose own marriage is on the rocks. To their astonishment, George and Jennie decide to get married after knowing each other only a brief time. Leo feels his brother is going much too fast. Faye asks to use Jennie's apartment while the couple is away on their honeymoon.
An idyllic trip to the Caribbean follows and George and Jennie are very happy, at least until another tourist who recognizes him extends condolences about George's deceased wife. He immediately sinks into a depression that continues through their return to New York. At his home, Jennie's attempts to cheer up George are met with curt responses and insults. She returns to her own apartment to discover that Faye is having an affair there with Leo.
The marriage appears to be over almost as quickly as it began. George comes to his senses just in time, realizing how much he loves Jennie and how he doesn't want to lose her.

Tags: romantic, autobiographical

Review:
Marsha Mason gets an Oscar Nomination for Playing Herself.
CHAPTER TWO is a long and rambling film version of one of Neil Simon's best plays.
Like BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BILOXI BLUES, this story is based on a part of Neil Simon's own life.
James Caan plays George Schneider, a fictionalized Simon, a writer who has just returned from a trip around the world after the death of his wife.
Sadly, George made the mistake of visiting all of the places he traveled with his late wife and it has apparently not aided his grieving process.
At the urging of his brother, Leo (well-played by Joseph Bologna), George agrees to go on a blind date with an attractive divorcée named Jennie McLaine (Marsha Mason).
Their first date is actually over the phone but they do eventually come face to face and move into a whirlwind romance which leads to a quick engagement and marriage...perhaps too quick because shortly into his new marriage, George realizes he really hasn't finished grieving over his first wife and begins to push Jennie away.
Simon's first wife passed away and he eventually met and married Marsha Mason, so essentially, Mason is playing herself here and not surprisingly does it pretty effectively.
However, in attempt to expand the play for the screen, it has become labored and way too long...the scenes of George and Jennie on their honeymoon go on way too long and bring the film to a dead halt.
Another problem is James Cann's wooden performance as George.
Caan never seems to grasp the rhythm of Simon's writing and makes George a little too melancholy.
Bologna is solid, as always, as is an anorexic looking Valerie Harper, who appears as Jennie's best friend, Faye.
If you're a Marsha Mason fan, it's worth checking out, others beware....
Chapter Two. Shortly after the death of his beloved wife, a witty but man-of-moods writer falls in love with a temperamental and equally witty actress, being encouraged by his full-blooded brother and her romance-hungry best friend who have problems of their own.This film version of Simon's autobiographical play no doubt rewards his addicts with several bright one-liners and also some permissive, gloomier-than-usual domestic drama, (all sparked by detailed performances), but possibly disappoints others with its thin and slightly uneasy plot, occasional bursts of sentimentality and the unconvincing motivations of its central character..
In short, a classic example of an effort where the dialogue runs the film, not special effects, sex, or some other 'popular' innovation.
Reminds me of the Walter Matthau-Glenda Jackson films.The main characters' initial phone exchanges are phenomenal and hilarious.
Later, the two supporting characters (played by Joe Bologna and Valerie Harper) have a meaningful exchange after being interrupted during a daytime tryst.
Great dialogue.
Well worth the two hour running time!!
Autobiographical comedy/drama by Neil Simon.
In it a recent widower George Schneider (James Caan) meets and falls in love with a recent divorcee Jennie MacLaine (Marsha Mason).
He marries her quickly, but realizes he hasn't gotten completely over his first wife.
Is her love for him enough to see them through?This was based on the real troubles Simon had when he married Mason in the early 1970s.
He got over them (not completely though--they divorced in 1981) and wrote "Chapter Two" for the stage.
I never saw it on the stage but I remember seeing this movie up the theatre back in 1980.
I loved it (with reservations) back then and I still love it (with reservations) now.The dialogue is virtual non-stop one-liners--real people don't talk like that but it is fun and entertaining to listen to.
The dramatic sequences work well especially with Mason giving her all to what must have been a very difficult role for her to play.
She's just tremendous (and drop-dead gorgeous) and was understandably nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for this role (she lost to Sally Field for "Norma Rae").
The film looks beautiful, moves fairly quickly and there's nice strong support from Joseph Bologna and (especially) Valerie Harper...but there's one big problem.
James Caan.
He's a wonderful DRAMATIC actor...NOT comedic.
He seems very uncomfortable playing a mild-mannered grieving man, and the poor guy has no comedic timing and doesn't know how to tell a joke--most of his lines fall flat.
With a better leading man I might have given it a 10.
Worth catching...especially for Mason..
Marsha Mason is the type of actress that puts a great deal of herself into every part she plays.
What Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow were to the writing skills of Woody Allen, Mason was to Neil Simon.
An actress who possessed an instinct for the writers mind and interpreted his material better than anyone.
In CHAPTER TWO, Mason is at her best when delivering clever Neil Simon one liners.
And although she gives it her all, she cannot on her own be expected to put across some of the stickiest dialogue ever written by Neil Simon.
Particularly the self righteous overly emotional speech at the end.
Simon had written a similar speech for Mason in THE GOODBYE GIRL.
About how the character likes herself now and how far she had come in her life and how grown up and wonderful she feels.
Mason should have put her foot down with this monologue in CHAPTER TWO.
There is no way short of a miracle that any actor can pull gooey dialogue off like that without setting nervousness up in the viewer.
This is not to say that Neil Simon has failed with this piece.
Some of his words hit a nice autobiographic mark and I like the confessional speech that George (James Caan) gives about all the reasons why he resents marriage the second time around.
It's too bad Caan never becomes the part.
Not as the character, but as an actor who can't find his way through the part.
Caan looks to Mason knowing she's carrying the weight of the picture and he's hoping her performance will carry him too.
Fortunately there's top notch supporting work by Valerie Harper and Joseph Bologna.
Simon seems to have written the best scenes for them.
While I can forgive Robert Moore's soapy direction, I cannot for my life excuse the awful music score.
Indicative of most music in movies between the decade of 1976 through 1986.
Inappropriate and sappy in the worst sense.Why would anyone want to be in love after watching this picture and hearing it's sticky music?
The feeling of this movie is like one of those old butter commercials with the two lovers running in slow motion towards each other.
I must admit to feeling lonely before watching CHAPTER TWO.
After it was over I was extremely happy that I was not in a relationship and quite content to be single for a while.
Thanks Neil !!.
The best of Marsha Mason and the worst of Neil Simon.
This agonizing comedy-drama got surprisingly sterling reviews upon its release in 1979.
I remember opening the movie-section of the L.A. Times and looking at a 2-page advertisement for "Chapter Two" filled with glowing captions like: "Better than 'The Goodbye Girl'!" and "Neil Simon does it again!" What does Neil Simon do?
He takes an autobiographical situation (remarrying too soon after the death of a beloved spouse) and makes it rusty, unpleasant and--worst of all--unfunny.
James Caan plays Neil--er..that is, George--a writer who can't seem to get back into life after losing his wife; enter spirited Marsha Mason (real-life Mrs. Simon...soon to be ex-Mrs. Simon) who attempts to love George despite his moods and general melancholy.
Mason is very appealing here and might've saved the day were it not for Caan's indifference (not to mention a sub-plot concerning painfully-thin, blonde Valerie Harper which brings the proceedings to a screeching halt).
I liked Mason's outburst at the end ("I am wonderful!
I am NUTS about me!"), but I saw no happy ending for these two people...and time proved me right.
Chapter Two. Sappy adaptation of the Simon autobiographical play with Caan horribly miscast in the Simon character (played by Judd Hirsch on the stage).
He lacks the timing and precision for comedy.
Mason is splendid in an Oscar nominated role as Caan's new love interest who tries to give Caan a sense of hope and deep love.
Bologna and Harper add flavor to their key supporting roles..
Great Movie.
I cannot believe the review I just read about this movie.
It makes me want to be in a relationship.
I think Neil Simon's writing for this movie is full of great lines and the speech Marsha Mason gives is so wonderful and she really pulls it off.
I have played that part over and over and told several people about it who haven't seen the movie.
And I thought the chemistry between Caan and Mason was pretty good and they were believable as a couple.
I also thought the supporting actors played good roles--the brother (Bologne) and the friend (Harper).
The music score wasn't so good.
I loved the ending..
Neil Simon creates a wonderful story..
For the most part I enjoyed this movie.
Neil Simon has created many great plays leading to movies such as Brighton Beach, The Odd Couple, Seems Like Old Times and many, many more.
Marsha Mason is definitely talented and able to carry off this somewhat difficult role.
I also have loved James Caan in other movies such as Godfather, Misery, Kiss Me Goodbye, Gardens of Stone to name only a few.
However, his performance as George Schneider seems lacking in content.
His wittiness and humor are great and he shines when doing comedy, but with the drama -- such as when conflicted with a new relationship and ultimately, he jumps into marriage not really knowing his new bride.
Also Joseph Bologna and Valerie Harper are excellent as the co-stars who ended up pursuing an extramarital affair.
I believe it is really Marsha Mason's superb acting that carries most of this film.
She was also great in The Goodbye Girl.
The only other problem with the dialog is some of Neil Simon's one-liners for Marsha Mason seem trite and overly worn-out.
Simon seems to use the same lines over and over again for other scripts he has written.
Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie..
Is love any easier the second time around?.
"Marry in haste, repent at leisure." Common expression, and perhaps one Neil Simon was thinking of when he wrote this autobiographical offering.George Schneider (James Caan) is a widowed writer who is becoming reclusive.
His brother, Leo (Joseph Bologna), wants him to get back into the swim of life, so he gives him the phone number of Jennie MacLaine (Marsha Mason), a bubbly, divorced actress who is the best friend of his mistress, Faye Medwick (Valerie Harper).
Improbably, George and Jennie hit it off, and enter into a whirlwind courtship, which leads very quickly to marriage.
However, after they have married, the memory of his first wife causes George to withdraw from Jennie.
It's an interesting script, in that you're swept along with a relationship that develops so fast it's out of control.
And just when you think the happy ending is coming, a major problem develops.
Simon certain knew the material, since he took it from his own life, but I think the ending is not as conclusive as he would like you to think it is.
Along the way, though, it's an awful lot of fun.Mason carries this movie, and thankfully, she is more than equal to the task, giving us a fully developed portrait of a charming woman who knows herself, knows what she wants from a relationship, and isn't afraid to tell her husband when he isn't giving her what she needs.
As for Caan, he gives his usual wooden performance, which works moderately well with his character, but still leaves you wondering why he was cast in the part.
As supporting players, Bologna and Harper more than hold their own, and help fill in the void left by Caan.In spite of all its problems, this is a buoyant film, which is a joy to watch.
Love may not be any easier the second time around, but Simon and Mason do manage to convince us that it's worth the ride..
Film with Almost No Plot Goes Nowhere.
What do you end up with when you combine a Neil Simon script and two superstar leads (James Caan and Marsha Mason)?
You should end up with a dynamite movie, but instead "Chapter Two" has almost no plot and listless direction.
That it was a smashing financial success is attributable only to its stars.George Schneider (Caan) is a newly widowed man whose brother Leo (Joseph Bologna) sets him up with a newly divorced Jennie McLain (Marsha Mason).
George and Jennie "meet cute", fall in love, quickly get married, then George starts missing his late wife.
That's it.Caan doesn't seem that interested in his role, Mason appears to want a better script, and the direction is pretty lame.
Caan was on the downside of his 1970s superstar peak and has admitted that he took the role only for the money.
Mason was a recent Academy Award winner, but she and Caan fail to generate much spark due to the pedestrian script, especially since Caan mumbles his way through most of his dialogue, as usual.
Valerie Harper and especially Bologna add about the only zip to the movie as George's brother and Jennie's best friend.
"Chapter Two" is pleasant, but in the end it really seems empty and pointless..
Not a Fan of James Caan, or this film.
My first impression of this film was that it was..okay..., nothing to write home about.
The plot is standard material, and presented fairly well, and Marsha Mason's acting, as usual, stands out (probably the only reason to watch).
The problem is two-fold: First, James Caan's character is so unbelievable.
He starts out as this light-hearted, earnest, easy-going guy trying to win Mason's affections.
Once he does, though, as if someone flipped a switch, he suddenly turns dark, very dark, and drives Mason crazy.
The other problem is Caan the actor.
Perhaps a more versatile actor could have given more credence to his character..
Doesn't work as a movie.
Never got a chance to see this on stage, but it has the kind of dialogue that makes a play great with competent actors.
Chapter Two just doesn't work as a movie.
James Caen and Marsha Mason certainly have the chops, and for the first 30 minutes, the show is an interesting romantic story.That all ends however, when Caen's charterer has a meltdown and it becomes almost painful to watch.
I felt horrible for Marsha Mason, and the emotional baggage, that was heaped upon her character.Even with the eventual resolution, I had no hopes that this ill advised marriage would survive.
Joe Bologna, and Valerie Harper, provide a bit of comic relief, but not enough to make me feel much better.Movies are supposed to be a pleasant escape for the most part.
If you ever have had relationship problems or not, I doubt you will enjoy this movie much..
Neil Simon takes a semi-autobiographical chapter from his own life and turns it into an incredibly kind tale of finding love after death and divorce.
James Caan is a not so merry widow and Marsha Mason is a not so gay divorcée.
They are both ironically leaving JFK around the same time, he coming in from a get-away to Europe and she returning from Reno.
Not running into each other, they also miss seeing each other at a posh Manhattan restaurant, he on a date with an exotically dressed model and she with an incredibly tall man who wants to take her dancing.
Thanks to his playboy brother (Joseph Bologna) and her best friend (Valarie Harper), they end up in several awkward phone conversations and she seems to think she's got a stalker on her hands.
But they finally agree to a five minute meeting, and boy, when they do, sparks fly....The conflict in the relationship comes from each of their personality quirks, aspects of themselves that seem to bother them more than the other.
He can't seem to forget his late wife, and she is gun-shy about another relationship.
But the sudden rush into marriage, which brings out each of their insecurities while on a honeymoon where he once took his late wife, threatens to separate them due to these personality disorders, and it will take time apart for them to sort through these issues.The stars are both extremely attractive here, and after playing some not-so-nice roles on screen, Caan finally becomes a likable guy, one you truly root for.
Mason, Mrs. Neil Simon in real life, seems to be playing a variation of herself, and is as usual, adorable and quirky.
Bologna and Harper, both married to other partners (who seem to be conveniently out of town all the time), add into the mix, and are absolutely wonderful.
Fresh from her long-running TV role of "Rhoda", Harper is a delight, providing some snappy lines like a modern day Eve Arden.
Bologna is likable too in spite of his character's obvious insincerity, and that adds a lot of humor into the mix.A pretty musical score by Marvin Hamlish, a love theme sung by Marilyn McCoo and excellent location photography also add to the charm of Simon's simple but witty tale of two people in transition who find each other when they're really not looking for anybody to replace whom they've just lost.
There's a very funny finale where Mason rushes through the streets of Manhattan trying to avoid running into restaurant patrons, a handyman spraying the sidewalk and a man on a unicycle.
Only in New York from the mind of Neil Simon, who also throws in a hysterical sequence at the 42nd Street Library where a young girl groans at Mason and Caan for making too much noise.