A Little Romance

**A Little Romance** is a 1979 American romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill.

The film was released on April 27, 1979 by Warner Bros. Pictures and Orion Pictures.

## Plot

While in Paris with her parents, intellectually precocious teenager Lauren King befriends a teenage film buff named Daniel. When her mother forbids Lauren to date Daniel, she and Daniel team up with an eccentric pickpocket named Julius to run away to Venice.

## Cast

* Laurence Olivier as Julius Edmund Santorin
* Diane Lane as Lauren King
* Thelonious Bernard as Daniel Michon
* Arthur Hill as Richard King
* Sally Kellerman as Kay King
* Broderick Crawford as Himself
* David Dukes as George de Marco
* Andrew Duncan as Bob Duryea
* Claudette Sutherland as Janet Duryea
* Graham Fletcher-Cook as Londet
* Ashby Semple as Natalie Woodstein
* Claude Brosset as Michel Michon
* Jacques Maury as Inspector Leclerc

## Production

Principal photography for "A Little Romance" began on July 17, 1978. Filming took place in Venice, Italy and Paris, France. The film's crew was denied permission to shoot in the Louvre, so a replica set was built instead (complete with several replica plaster statues).

It was the film debut of Diane Lane (who played the role of Lauren).

Thelonious Bernard (who played the role of Daniel) spoke very little English, and had no prior acting experience. Prior to principal photography for the film, he spent a month at the home of director George Roy Hill where he did a crash course in acting and English.

Sir Laurence Olivier was 71 years old when he made "A Little Romance". At the time, he was recovering from thrombosis and pneumonia. Reportedly, Olivier once said that his teenage co-star, Diane Lane was *"the next Grace Kelly"*.

Sir Laurence Olivier wanted to do his own stunts despite his infirmity. Director George Roy Hill had a specially designed bicycle built for Olivier, which had a motor that drove it, making the cyclist appear to be pedaling; however, Olivier wouldn't stand for this. When Hill was away, he got on the real bike and rode down a hill on his own, proving his cycling competency.

## Critical Reception

"A Little Romance" has an approval rating of 71% based on 28 reviews with an average rating of 6.90\10.

Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it a *"movie that seems to have melted the minds of everyone of any stature connected with it."*

In his review of "A Little Romance", Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times said: *"A Little Romance has been described as a movie about the way kids behave when adults aren't looking. I think it's quite the opposite: A movie about the way kids behave when adults are looking - and when adults are writing the dialog and directing the action, too. It gives us two movie kids in a story so unlikely I assume it was intended as a fantasy. And it gives us dialog and situations so relentlessly cute we want to squirm."*

Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader called the film a *"genuine charmer"* and that director George Roy Hill's *"crowd-pleasing instincts have been subsumed by a bracing technical assurance here; the contrivances are still there, but they're presented with a smooth and rare professionalism."*

TV Guide Magazine said: *"This sweet and innocent movie about teen romance won't fail to bring a tear and a smile in its heart-tugging finale."*

Variety wrote: *"Scripter Allan Burns has craftily kept the point of view of the youngsters, Diane Lane and Thelonious Bernard, while the adults, with certain exceptions, are seen as suitably grotesque and ridiculous, giving Romance a crest of humor on which to ride."*

Time Magazine said that director George Roy Hill and screenwriter Allan Burns have *"constructed a romantic comedy that, for all its contrivances, offers an indecent amount of emotional and comic satisfaction."*

Writing for Newsweek, David Ansen said: *"In its sweet, witty and modestly sentimental way, it delivers the romantic frissons that many star-studded, would-be blockbusters of the heart lumber in vain to achieve."*

Judith Martin from the Washington Post said: *"The intentional comedy in the film always seems on the verge of working, but then is quickly bludgeoned to death."*

Also writing for the Washington Post, Gary Arnold stated: *"Thanks to the heavy synthetic hand of director George Roy Hill, the potentially charming aspects of the kids' infatuation curdle into syrupy gruel."*