Famed writer George Dunlap (Albert Finney) grows tired of his wife Faith (Diane Keaton). He leaves her and their four girls (Dana Hill, Viveka Davis, Tracey Gold, Tina Yothers) for his mistress Sandy (Karen Allen). Faith is depressed and then contractor Frank Henderson (Peter Weller) shows up at her door. He was hired before the split to build a tennis court. The family struggles with getting divorced and life after divorce.
It's dark and it has some light. It has some over the top moments but it feels relatively real. There is a lot struggling going on. The drunken child beating is fine but the arguing in the restaurant is problematic. That scene is played for laughs but I kept wondering why they aren't getting kicked out. There has to be a better way to get them back in bed together. It felt too manufactured. As a side note, it's wonderful to see many of these future stars as little girls. I've been rewatching Family Ties recently. Dana Hill could be the central character but I also see the value of having two veterans at the center. The good far outweights the less good.
