Divorce American Style

1967
Approved
1h 49m

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

1.9K

YOUR RATING

Debbie Reynolds and Dick Van Dyke in Divorce American Style (1967)

Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds star as a suburban couple who learn that not even divorce can solve all their problems.

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Satire Screwball Comedy Comedy

Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds star as a suburban couple who learn that not even divorce can solve all their problems.Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds star as a suburban couple who learn that not even divorce can solve all their problems.Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds star as a suburban couple who learn that not even divorce can solve all their problems.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

1.9K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 nominations total

Trivia
The judge presiding over divorce proceedings in the film is played by John J. Anthony, a real-life marriage guidance counselor. This was his only acting role in a film.

Goofs
When Debbie Reynolds is curling her hair and Dick Van Dyke is cutting his toenails, we see Debbie from behind and her reflection in the mirror. There are clearly two rollers pinned to the top of her head. Dick cuts a toenail that lands on Debbie's vanity table. She is shot from the front where we see her flick the toenail off the table with no rollers on her head. In the next shot from behind again, the rollers magically reappear.

Quotes
David Grieff: Well now, to the property settlement. I've prepared a list here of major items of community property with some suggestions as to how they may be distributed amongst the parties.
Richard Harmon: [looking at the list] Seems to be fair. Split right down the middle. The house to Barbara; the mortgage payments to me. The furnishings, colour TV and piano to Barbara; the monthly payments to me. The insurance benefits to Barbara; the premiums to me. The uranium in our uranium mine to Barbara...
David Grieff: Uranium mine?
Richard Harmon: And the shaft to me!

Crazy credits
SPOILER: Opening credits (and the musical score) begin when a conductor - having just walked across a field and set up a music stand - raises his baton, gives a downbeat, and "cues" the sounds of husbands and wives arguing from the houses in the neighborhood below. At the end of the picture, the conductor again appears in the field above the neighborhood and begins conducting the final musical score through the closing credits (and drowning out the sound of arguing).

Connections
Featured in Film Review: Film Review (1967)

Soundtracks
Let's Fall in Love
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by Ted Koehler
Sung partially by Pat Collins

User reviews29

Review

Featured review

7/10

Forgotten 60s comedy

The marriage of Richard and Barbara Harmon (Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds) is falling apart. They're always fighting and are extremely unhappy. They decide to divorce and go their separate ways. They're helped by friends and co-workers played by Jason Robards, beautiful Jean Simmons, Van Johnson, Joe Flynn and Lee Grant.

I never even knew this movie existed until it popped up on TCM. It seems to be a forgotten movie which is too bad because its lots of fun. The script is excellent--most of it is a comedy but they also bring up interesting and serious insights into love, sex and relationships. The entire cast is great throwing off one-liners left and right. Also this is a fascinating social documents of the late 1960s to see how couples lived, the things they talked about, the fashions they wore and the houses they had. Sure it's dated but I was never bored. Also it's fun to see 20 year old Tim Matheson in his first film (playing a teenager!). Worth catching.