Kiss Me Goodbye (film)

This article is about the 1982 Robert Mulligan film. For the Petula Clark song, see Kiss Me Goodbye (Petula Clark song).

Kiss Me Goodbye
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Mulligan
Produced by	Robert Mulligan Burt Sugarman
Written by	Charlie Peters
Based on	Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands by Bruno Barreto Eduardo Coutinho Leopoldo Serran (uncredited)
Starring	Sally Field James Caan Jeff Bridges Paul Dooley Claire Trevor
Music by	Ralph Burns
Cinematography	Donald Peterman
Edited by	Sheldon Kahn
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	December 22, 1982 (1982-12-22)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$8 million
Box office	$15,782,759

Kiss Me Goodbye is a 1982 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Sally Field, James Caan and Jeff Bridges. It is a remake of Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos in Portuguese), a 1976 Brazilian film starring Sonia Braga based on the book of the same name by Jorge Amado.

Field was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical for her performance, but Caan later said that he hated this film, as he did several films in which he appeared either just to keep working or for the money. In a 1991 interview, Caan claimed that making Kiss Me Goodbye was one of the most unpleasant experiences of his life, and that as a consequence, he did not make another film for five years.

Plot summary

Kay is the widow of a Broadway showman called Jolly, who died after falling down a staircase at their home. Kay is now planning to remarry, to a stuffed-shirt named Rupert, and they live in the same house. Suddenly Jolly returns to her life as a ghost.

Seen only by her, Jolly meddles in Kay's affairs and causes her mother and others to question her state of mind. On a romantic weekend in the country together, Kay and Rupert are accompanied by Jolly, who is annoyed by Rupert's pretending to be able to see and hear him. The situation comes to a head back at the house, where a colleague of Rupert's attempts to stage an exorcism. Jolly, finally convinced that Kay will be okay without him, kisses her goodbye for good. The film ends with Kay and Rupert getting married at the wedding rehearsal rather than waiting until the next day.

Cast

• Sally Field as Kay
• James Caan as Jolly
• Jeff Bridges as Rupert
• Claire Trevor as Charlotte
• Paul Dooley as Kendall
• Stephen Elliott as Edgar
• Michael Ensign as Billy
• Mildred Natwick as Mrs. Reilly
• William Prince as Rev. Hollis
• Dorothy Fielding as Emily
• Maryedith Burrell as Mrs. Newman
• Alan Haufrect as Mr. Newman

Theme

The film's theme song, But It's a Nice Dream, was written by Peter Allen and sung by Dusty Springfield.

Reception

Vincent Canby of The New York Times was not amused: "Robert Mulligan's Kiss Me Goodbye is like a Nassau cruise ship with eight bars, seven discos, five swimming pools and no compass. It sails out of New York, turns left instead of right at the Ambrose Lightship and heads confidently toward sunny Iceland. ...Mr. Mulligan's direction perfectly matches Charlie Peters's screenplay in that both are humorless. The leads aren't great either. Miss Fields is neither Sonia Braga nor Irene Dunne and Mr. Caan, who appears to be imitating Gene Kelly, can't. Mr. Bridges behaves as if he were a family's faithful old dog, the sort of slobbering animal that will sell his soul for a pat on the head."

External links

• Kiss Me Goodbye at IMDb
• Kiss Me Goodbye at Rotten Tomatoes