A New Life

Alan Alda worked himself away from the popular TV series "M*A*S*H" cautiously and nimbly, first as an actor in "Same Time, Next Year" and "California Suite", then as an actor and writer with "The Seduction of Joe Tynan", and eventually with his smoothest film to date, "The Four Seasons", where he served as writer/director/star. Unfortunately, "A New Life"--which Alda wrote, directed, and stars in--takes him right back to TV, what with a sitcom script and trite characters. Alda and Ann-Margret are New York marrieds who decide to divorce and seek out other partners, finding themselves out of step with the modern singles-scene. Ann-Margret (top-heavy with a whopper crop of hair) is an attractive presence, and it seems natural for her to be drawn to John Shea (who could be Alda's younger brother)' however, the other players look lost in their roles, and Alda as a writer has only obvious points to make. It's all a comedic sham: plastic, unrealistic and mediocre. *1/2 from ****