Just the Way You Are (1984) by director Edouard Molinaro is a sweet and touching romantic comedy that while not perfect does win over the viewing audience with its numerous little funny, charming and memorable moments; moments that all come together to bring us this heart-warming and inspiring story that wonderfully illustrates the infinite possibilities of love.
Susan Berlanger (Kristy McNichol) is a talented young musician with a lot of great things going on in her life; she has a good job, caring friends, loving parents and a nice place to live. Unfortunately she also has a fiancé that she is not really in love with, a desire to find that "Mr. Right" that doesn't seem to be out there, and most significantly a disability. Susan has paralysis in her lower leg from a childhood affliction and while her disability doesn't really affect most aspects of her life it does have a substantial effect on the romantic part of her life; it is just something that most men can't get past. After breaking up with her boyfriend Susan decides to go on a concert tour in Europe to get away from her troubles but she only finds that her troubles have followed her there. While in Paris she is struck with an ingenious idea; she decides to have her leg put in a cast and take a kind of vacation, a vacation from herself. So with her counterfeit cast she heads off for a ski resort in the French Alps; with her disability effectively hidden she can be like so many of the other tourist vacationing there and not just someone to be pitied. Since she is completely unknown at the resort she can become a completely new person, she experiences many new things that she has never had a chance to, things that most people take for granted. An entire new world that she has never known has been opened up to her and for the first time in her life she really feels alive. But while she didn't come to the resort looking for romance she eventually finds it as she begins having feelings for news photographer Peter Nichols (Michael Ontkean), Peter is there on assignment to take photographs of snotty hotshot skier Bobbie (Alexandra Paul) who also has an interest in him. But it doesn't take long before Peter makes it clear that his main interest is not in Bobbie or ski tournaments but in Susan, and that leaves her with a major dilemma. Does she tell Peter the truth about herself and hope that he can still love her, or does she try and forget about him and the possibility of ever finding the true love that she has always dreamed of? Can she find the courage to tell him about her disability even though it might mean losing him and being rejected yet again?
This is a funny little romantic comedy; it is filled with numerous humorous and romantic moments that really add up to make a surprisingly entertaining and moving film. The ending is of course somewhat predictable (as most movies of this type are), we know that these two are going to get together almost from the moment that they meet but this is only a small flaw in what is an otherwise delightful romantic romp. The film really centers on the characters played by Kristy McNichol and Michael Ontkean, they have a great onscreen chemistry together that makes you really hope that it will all work out and that the two of them will get together in the end. All of the supporting cast is excellent and also help the film along to its enjoyable conclusion. Alexandra Paul is perfectly bitchy as Susan's romantic competition who turns out to be not much competition after all. The always interesting and memorable Kaki Hunter does a very good job as Susan's philosophizing best friend. But especially good is André Dussollier as Francois, his character becomes a kind of sounding board for our two young lovers, neither of whom want to have a "serious" relationship and who are both desperately arguing against being in love. All of these interesting characters and dialog, as well as the many truly charming moments eventually pile up and overwhelm us, the result is this underrated romance classic that lets us all hold out hope that yes, there could very well be someone out there for us too.
Buying note: This film is only available on full screen VHS tape, it has been out of print for many years but still should be easy to find on the internet or at other used video outlets.
2-6-2006
