‘The Heartbreak Kid’: Elaine May’s beloved Oscar nominee has a rare screening at New York’s Metrograph Theater
Carrie Courogan titled her new book about Elaine May, the legendary writer, director, and comic, “Miss May Does Not Exist.” But for some, it might feel like May’s feature films don’t necessarily either – particularly “The Heartbreak Kid.” The 1972 comedy – a box office hit upon its release and future Oscar nominee – is out of print on physical media, never cycles through the surfeit of available streaming platforms, and rarely screens at repertory theaters. So it was little surprise to find an enthusiastic crowd inside New York’s Metrograph theater on Wednesday night for a 35mm members-only showing of “The Heartbreak Kid” pegged to the recent release of Courogan’s book. (The print was loaned out by the Academy Film Archive.)
Based on the short story by Bruce Jay Friedman and written for the screen by Neil Simon, “The Heartbreak Kid” focuses on Lenny Cantrow (a sublime Charles Grodin), a sporting goods salesman who marries a naive Jewish girl named Lila (May’s real-life daughter Jeannie Berlin, who landed one of the film’s two Oscar nominations; the other nomination came for Eddie Albert) and quickly begins to realize he’s made a huge mistake. So when Lenny has a flirtatious meet-cute with a Midwestern college co-ed named Kathy (Cybil Shepherd) on his honeymoon, it doesn’t take long for the film’s ostensible hero to explode his newlywedded lifestyle in increasing cringe-inducing ways. “The Heartbreak Kid” blends Simon’s broad style and familiar shtick with May’s black comedy sensibilities and uncomfortable long takes to create something indelible and influential. It’s not difficult to see a direct line from the 1972 film to “Seinfeld,” Ben Stiller (who starred in a 2007 remake of “The Heartbreak Kid”), and “The Office,” and beyond.
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“At the end of the day, ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ is just as much tragedy as it is a comedy,” read Couragan on Wednesday night from a passage in her book. “Underneath the humor of it all, which helps us digest how awful it is, it’s kind of sad. And isn’t that just like real life? Elaine seemed to think so. ‘Humor sort of happens sometimes against your will, she said. ‘It’s more a way of looking at things. You look at something one way and it’s a disaster. You look at it another way and it’s humorous. It depends on how you tilt your head.’ Elaine May’s ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ gets right to the heart of being a person. We are all – men and women alike – flawed, capable of being awful, cruel, petty, and disgusting. Inside all of us is a monster, and sometimes, it doesn’t take much for it to come out. Whether or not that’s funny. Depends on how you choose to look at it.”
For more about the Metrograph, visit the cinema’s website.
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