“The Heartbreak Kid” by Elaine May (1972)

Movies directed by women

Tribute to Elaine May

A movie that piles up surprises, with good dialogues
Like in her first feature, Elaine May centers on the male role and puts her female characters in a state of complete dependency, which allows her to show the emptiness of the male endeavour.
“Elaine May is willing to improvise, to indulge (and exploit) quirks in acting style, and to examine social hypocrisy with a kind of compulsive ferocity. It’s a comedy, but there’s more in it than that; it’s a movie about the ways we pursue, possess, and consume each other as sad commodities.” [Roger Ebert]

Cast: Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, Jeannie Berlin
Director: Elaine May
Writers: Bruce Jay Friedman (story), Neil Simon (screenplay)
Music by Garry Sherman
Cinematography by Owen Roizman
Film Editing by John Carter