Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

egan-gwen They should NEVER get these 2 women to do a commentary on anything again. i finally started to fast forward----they described so many people's careers, not even connected with the movie. one area of nyc was mentioned---old meat packing district---but the rest was pretty much ignored except for natalie wood's early connection to macy's. oh yeah---greenwich village was mentioned. & they did mention richard mulligan as one of the brothers, which i did not know. & natalie wood's & steve mcqueen's childhoods. i was actually in nyc twice in 1963 & wanted to hear some comments on the city & locations used. that's why it's better to have the directors or actors do the comments. in this case, not possible. toby roan, who was not the director, did a great job on the "one million bc" dvd..

frankwiener I don't consider myself a huge fan of love stories, but every now and then one comes along that really works for me, and this is one of those rare occasions. While some reviewers consider the subject matter and the prevailing culture of the film to be "dated", do movies have to mirror the 21st century in order to be important, interesting, or even entertaining? I never dismissed "Casablanca" as "dated" because it happened to take place in 1941, a time when even this old geezer didn't yet exist. Now, why would I do that?This month's tcm star of the month being Natalie Wood, viewers were treated to a fascinating introduction by Wood's former husband, Robert Wagner, and her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, who was raised by Wagner since infancy. I very much appreciated their special, personal rapport and their "inside knowledge" regarding the making of this film, as well as the two other films shown on the same night, "Splendor in the Grass" and "West Side Story".The success of this movie, brilliantly directed by Robert Mulligan ("To Kill a Mockingbird"), revolved around the highly engaging interaction between the two main actors, Natalie Wood as Macy's salesperson Angie Rossini and Steve McQueen as musician Rocky Papasano, but I don't think that their performances would have been as alluring without a very intelligent and complex script, as written by Arnold Schulman. Another vital element of the film's appeal was the outstanding supporting cast, especially Tom Bosley as an awkward, love-stricken restaurateur, Hershel Bernardi as Angie's possessive, produce pushing brother, and Edie Adams as an exotic dancer who also serves as Rocky's roommate of the moment. Portraying their characters as victims of intense personal crisis, both Wood and McQueen very credibly project an entire spectrum of feelings that convey their general state of extreme confusion and frustration. I especially appreciated how McQueen developed his character from unlikable to sympathetic in the course of the film, often employing his entire body in the process, and how Wood enabled us to share the wide range of emotions that Angie endured at a time of severe inner turmoil. The scene of her initial attempt at leaving the only home that she had ever known, for better or for worse, should "hit home" with anyone who had experienced a similar situation in their lives, including myself. Bravo Natalie. Loved the clothes hanging out of the hastily packed suitcase. Nice touch.Without fatally destroying the end of this movie for anyone who has never seen it, I was still left guessing how it would end until the very last scene. Even though the ending had its corny aspect, we need to accept the time as the dawn of the protest movement, so the final scene may have had a very different impact on an audience back in 1963 than it does in 2016. I still loved the final resolution. It actually brought tears to my hopelessly sentimental eyes. How about you?

wes-connors This starts out being an extraordinary drama, and ends up being an excellent romantic comedy. Both are done well, although "Love with the Proper Stranger" might have been better off sticking to the dramatics. Natalie Wood (as Angie Rossini) and Steve McQueen (as Rocky Papasano) are an infectious team. As the film opens Ms. Wood is tracking Mr. McQueen down, to ask for help in obtaining an abortion. McQueen seems to have forgotten the dalliance with Wood (blame it on the scotch).Watch for a brief moment when McQueen looks Wood up and down, in their first on-screen scene; this is, perhaps, when McQueen recalls her, and the point at which he begins to "fall in love" with her character (as the sexual attraction had already reached culmination). McQueen's realization is long and confused; but, Wood visibly "falls in love" with McQueen while watching him interact with his parents. In this case, disposing with the initial sexual attraction has made the characters' "romance" more interesting. This is difficult to play so convincingly; and, the lead performances, along with the direction of Robert Mulligan, are award-worthy.The dramatic highlight will be obvious; the comic highlight is the scene with Wood having dinner with Tom Bosley (as Anthony Columbo)'s family. This scene works so well because it both parallels and contrasts Wood's earlier meeting with McQueen's family (when she fell in love with him). Mr. Bosley heads up a strong supporting cast. Arnold Schulman's script, and the Milton R. Krasner photography, are also outstanding. The unworthy last act is disappointing, but not damning.********* Love with the Proper Stranger (12/25/63) Robert Mulligan ~ Natalie Wood, Steve McQueen, Tom Bosley, Edie Adams

copper1963 Heartachingly stunning in this gritty urban tale of despair and regret, Natalie Wood, as usual, acts up a tsunami. With her big brown eyes beaming and searching for the gentleman who knocked her up, she ventures into a large, packed-in-like-sardines, union hall. She finds him there. It's none other than Steve McQueen. He's a musician. She informs him that she is "going to have a baby." Shame. Shame. Blunt girl. He doesn't recall their tryst. Shame again. The dumbfounded look on McQueen's mug is priceless. She marches out into a bright sunshine. He follows. She whirls around and tells him that his responsibility ends at finding her a doctor--and it's not a obstetrician. It is 1963 (the year I was born) and she, that is, they, are in a world of trouble. A nice, unmarried Italian girl, you see, should never find herself in such a pickle. Never. They pool their resources together. They come up with the cabbage--400 smackers--but are then told by a very abrupt fellow that they need another fifty. They pay his parents a visit at a boccie ball court, somewhere near the East River. The noise from the FDR Drive is deafening. He secures the needed funds and they beat a hasty retreat when Wood's brothers catch wind of their affairs and chase them from the playground and into a building he is familiar with. They lay low for a while. This section of the film shows us that they have wonderful screen chemistry together. They listen to some music on the radio. They drink a little red wine. And they begin to fall in love--they just don't realize it yet. Whew! No more plot for now. I love the director's use of natural light and sounds, especially with the scene over at the boccie court. You hear every single vehicle that lumbers by. Nothing was re-dubbed later. The two leads are perfectly cast in this romantic fable. I know I should cover the starkly grim "abortion scene." But why ruin a beautiful picture with a dose of unneeded ugliness. Did I mention that Natalie was sweet? Heartachingly so.