Entertainment Weekly 

KIDS ON THE SIDE (1995)

by Lisa Schwarzbaum  

The team that put together Bye Bye, Love (Twentieth Century Fox, PG-13)- writers Gary David Goldberg and Brad Hall and director Sam Weisman (Brooklyn Bridge alumni all, with Goldberg and Weisman deans of the '80s sticom Family Ties)-are pros at making smooth domestic dramas that use humor to aerate serious social issues. That practical sensibility shows in this TV- colored production. And in this case, that's not a bad thing. On the agenda for Goldberg and Co. is the toll divorce takes on the bonds between dads and their kids, compared and contrasted by Paul Reiser (doing a Mad About You-shaped turn as a Paul Buchman-splits-from-Jamie kind of guy), Matthew Modine (as a flirtatious commitment-phobe), and Randy Quaid (as an angry galoot who gets to have fun displaying the messiest emotions). This is not a new topic-Kramer vs. Kramer claimed the territory back in 1979-but Love stakes its ground in a very 1995 sort of way. With the postfeminist daddies chatting articulately about how hard it is to say good-bye at the end of a weekend, it's a retort to any social critic who decries the long-term detrimental effects of divorce on children. (It's also a companion piece to Sleepless in Seattle, another TV-influenced domestic drama, right down to the casting of Rob Reiner as a haranguing radio talk-show host and Sleepless kid Ross Malinger as one of Modine's brood.) The performances, pleasant and shallow, are enlivened by the appearance of the gamely rough-edged Janeane Garofalo, playing a blind-date nightmare. ''Basically,'' she says, glowering at Quaid over dinner as she lists her requirements for an ideal man, ''I'm just looking for a mammal.'' Garofalo growls and scolds her way merrily through this Daddy Feelgood story like-well, like a visitor from The Larry Sanders Show let loose on the set of My Two Dads. It's the sort of collision that could only take place in a big-screen production entirely shaped by the small screen. B-

Janeane is great, the rest grates

by Grigory's Girl

The scene with Janeane Garofalo and Randy Quaid is hilarious. The rest is a waste of time. Go to the chapter with Janeane, and you'll be alright...

Short stuff

The film also features Janeane Garofalo in a brief, scene-stealing role as the stereotypical "date from hell"...

-- Movies.com

ReelViews.net

by James Berardinelli 

United States, 1995
U.S. Release Date: 3/17/95 (wide)
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Mature themes, language)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Cast: Matthew Modine, Randy Quaid, Paul Reiser, Janeane Garofalo, Amy Brenneman, Maria Pitillo, Rob Reiner
Director: Sam Weisman
Producers: Gary David Goldberg, Brad Hall, and Sam Weisman
Screenplay: Gary David Goldberg and Brad Hall
Cinematography: Kenneth Zunder
Music: J.A.C. Redford
U.S. Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox

The modern-day family isn't what it used to be. Households that mirror the Cleavers -- or even the Huxtables or Seavers -- deserve a place on the endangered species list. These days, you're as likely to find children shuttled back and forth between divorced parents as spending time in a stable, single-family situation. The fractured family and its ramifications lie at the core of Bye Bye Love, a new, lighter-than-a-feather dramatic comedy from director Sam Weisman (D2).

There are times when the movie's statement about the tragic lot of children torn between a mother and father is almost lost amidst the upsurge of feel-good sentiment. Don't expect much substance or depth from this film -- the few questions it poses are never answered satisfactorily, and the story is framed in a manner designed to please crowds, not address issues. There's a saying that laughter is the best medicine, and it's certainly true in this case. Bye Bye Love's humor obfuscates many dramatic shortcomings. It's hard to dislike something that provokes this many laughs. Flawed though it may be, the movie does a good job filling the "light entertainment" niche.

For the most part, the story is told from the male point-of-view. We're introduced to a trio of divorced fathers: Dave (Matthew Modine), an incurable womanizer; Vic (Randy Quaid), a fun- loving sort of guy; and Donny (Paul Reiser), an insecure dad who wishes that his daughter (Eliza Dushku, from True Lies) would confide in him. Most of Bye Bye Love is devoted to showing how these three interact with their ex-wives, their children, their current significant others, and each other.

The comedy starts slowly, with occasional solid one-liners and sight gags (one hint that the film has promise is that most of these work). However, just before the half-way point, Vic embarks on one of those motion picture cliches, the "Blind Date from Hell." In this case, his companion is the offbeat Lucille (played with deadpan gusto by Janeane Garofalo, the best thing to come out of Reality Bites). Though nothing that happens between these two erupts with originality, and many of the jokes are telegraphed, the Vic/Lucille scenes are hilarious. Quaid and Garofalo create an effective rapport, each playing perfectly off the other. The only downside is that they aren't on screen all the time. An entire movie could have been made with just these two characters, and it probably would have been a far better film than Bye Bye Love.

Paul Reiser essentially regurgitates his Mad About You personae. There are a few wrinkles, but this is a "safe" role that doesn't require much of a stretch. Donny is blandly likable, but his story, which includes a relationship with Dave's ex (Amy Brenneman), seems like filler. Unfortunately, Matthew Modine is barely adequate, so Dave's scenes are often the least enjoyable. The script has some odd tangents, including a father-son relationship between a McDonald's worker (Johnny Whitworth) and his elderly "adopt a geezer" trainee (Ed Flanders). Rob Reiner is on hand as an ubiquitous talk-show host who raises the ire of his listeners.

Product placement has become a common practice for films like this, but Bye Bye Love goes way overboard in advertising for McDonald's. This is the second film this year (the other being Houseguest) where the fast food joint attains the importance of a character. The golden arches are lovingly highlighted, and there's a nice close-up of a sign advertising extra value meals for $2.99. Such blatant commercialism is annoying.

Dramatic comedies are Hollywood staples, but most fall short by diluting straight and amusing elements on an equal basis. While Bye Bye Love has its share of problems, feeble jokes and unfunny humor aren't among them. Despite only partially succeeding in its examination of the potentially-damaging effects of divorce, the end result is still a pleasant film that satisfies a need for cheery, unforced entertainment.

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