One Is a Lonely Number

However, I preferred this film. While it is a bit disjointed, and certainly the subject matter these days in not novel, it addresses the individual issues of divorce and abandonment.

Some critics have dismissed this as a "woman's movie"...wow. Women today are a larger sector of the audience. Not sure what archaic demographic that critique is utilizing.

At any rate, Trish Van Devere gives an understated performance as a newly single San Francisco woman, attempting to restructure her life. Jane Leigh is amusing in a nice cameo as a vindictive divorcée, she looks amazing for age 45, and gives a fun performance.

Melvyn Douglas also has a cameo as resident grocer, Mr. Provo. He takes Van Devere to an outdoor play, and she breaks down as she finally realizes her four year marriage is over for good.

Never an easy issue, divorce is painful and personal, if you watch this, and then ten years later, watch it again, you may feel differently. Recommended. 7/10.

"One is a Lonely Number" ("Two is a Happy Number") is a film about a woman's experience coming to terms with the end of her marriage. In many ways, it's like Dr. Kubler-Ross' Stages of Grief and you see the lady (Trish Van Devere) work through the stages until she finally arrives at accepting that it is, indeed, over. While this would NOT make for a fun or good date night film, it is mildly entertaining and a bit brave in addressing this sad topic. Sadly, up until the end it was a very good film (I might have scored it a 7 or 8) but the ending seemed a bit dumb and poorly handled. You could do better...you could do a lot worse. This sort of film has the term 'time-passer' written all over it and is a nice chance to see Van Devere acting without her husband and usual on-screen partner, George C. Scott.

Until it degenerates somewhat into drippy man-woman chit-chat, "One Is a Lonely Number" has some wry comments to make on the life of a 27-year-old woman on the verge of being divorced. Trish Van Devere has a soft, fuzzy quality about her which is quiet and likable; when her husband of four years walks out on her without an explanation, she's forced to get a job and face the realization of being alone or dating again (neither of which seems to please her). Rather predictable narrative is spiked by a solid visual sense and good location shooting in and around San Francisco. The film comes from an unusual pedigree (executive producer David Wolper and director Mel Stuart worked together the previous year on "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" and screenwriter David Seltzer later wrote "The Omen"), and some of the sequences (such as the hurt spouse packing up her husband's leftover things) were expanded upon in later films such as "An Unmarried Woman" and "Kramer vs. Kramer". Alas, Seltzer's script, adapted from Rebecca Morris' short story "The Good Humor Man", falls too easily into convention, and when a ready-made prince (Monte Markham??) confesses to Van Devere he's married, one is inclined to groan. The material was probably much fresher in 1972, however this scenario has since become well-mined territory for a torrent of "women's pictures". What makes this one interesting are the performances (especially Janet Leigh's as a brassy man-hater) and the stinging sense of helplessness. We follow the work-a-day trials of this single woman as she is forced into a rather crummy job as a swimming pool lifeguard--secretly afraid of the high dive--and has to do things she doesn't want to do. It certainly has impact, but the movie's bracing quality is diluted by the soap opera. A near-miss. ** from ****

This is the story of Aimee Brower, a 28 year old woman who just recently divorced her husband. The movie takes us on what Aimee goes through trying to make some sense out of her newly found life, realizing that after all you can live by yourself.

What I find interesting about the movie is that we get to see the female point-of-view of divorce on the early 70s, when women weren't expected to have a career of their own or something else besides being married.

In San Francisco, 27 year old Amy Brower (Trish Van Devere) is puzzled when her husband walks out on her. He wants a divorce after four years of marriage. Apparently, he went to Mexico with a 19 year old girl and he's cutting her off financially. She's still trying to save her marriage while adjusting to her new life.

It's definitely another time. It may be a different time but there are echoes to today. It's post 60's. It's women's lib. It's single gal adventures and tribulations. It's divorce American style. This reminds me of a couple of famous divorce/single woman/feminist movies later in the decade. This story meanders around and threatens to derail a couple of times. Amy frustrates me a little by trying to keep her marriage for too long. At a certain point, she needs to face reality. She should change her outlook after the big cry and Howard. By the time of the climatic meeting, it's a little anti-climatic. The final ending leaves me with mixed feelings.