American film in the 1970s is often thought of first for the rise of a new era in Hollywood, producing milestone early movies by Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola, But there was also a surge in what might be called “adult contemporary” comedy-dramas, many of which are quite good: Blake Edwards’ 10, Alan J. Pakula’s Starting Over, Paul Mazursky’s Blume in Love and An Unmarried Woman, and Robert Benton’s Kramer vs. Kramer. Trying hard to get on that list, with mixed success, is Gilbert Cates’ 1980 The Last Married Couple in America.
A broad comedy starring some of the decade’s most familiar actors from film and television, The Last Married Couple is a swipe at the absurdity of a swingers’ mentality infecting bored, middle-aged spouses in suburbia. A wide circle of friends, all married, gradually dwindles as separation and divorce sweep through its ranks like a strain of flu. Worse, several of the newly liberated husbands and wives prey on one another for sex, spreading STDs and a lot of bad will.
In the center of the action are Jeff (George Segal) and Mari (Natalie Wood, who died a year after this film’s release). In their early 40s and parents of three young sons, Jeff and Mari have a checkered history of fidelity to one another, but they have stayed faithful for some years (despite temptations) and are shocked by the breakups happening around them. Until that is, they are lured away by some pretty shallow people and start looking pretty silly on the dating circuit.
The film works best when the focus is on a cast starring 1970s stalwarts (Valerie Harper, Richard Benjamin, Bob Dishy, Allan Arbus) finding some grounding in thin characters. Director Cates has some imaginative moments shooting exteriors and finding something to laugh about. But everything comes unglued in the third act, which culminates in a dumb party built around porn stars and circus folk. The whole thing looks like one of those stodgy TV notions of what hipness looks like, and the costumes and rites are years behind 1980 America. Lightly recommended.