The Goodbye Girl Blu-ray Review

The Warner Archive Collection's Blu-ray release of "The Goodbye Girl" reveals a meticulously crafted 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer, showcasing David M. Walsh's cinematography in a manner that elevates the visual quality of this nearly 40-year-old film. Captured using a recent 2K scan from an interpositive, the new transfer delivers a highly film-like image replete with fine details that bring the film's New York locations to life. The lighting and production design immersively capture the city's gritty texture during an economically challenging era, adding authenticity to the narrative. With a high average bitrate of 34.99 Mbps, the image maintains a soft texture indicative of Seventies film stocks while presenting a natural, finely resolved grain pattern.

The Blu-ray's color palette is primarily realistic, though it embraces stylized hues in specific scenes, such as the Shakespeare production bathed in purple lighting. While colors still retain a slightly faded look, solid contrast and clarity lift background details and enhance depth. Blacks are robust, whites are vivid, and flesh tones appear stable and natural throughout the film. Close-ups reveal considerable fine detail despite slight softness, and overall shadow delineation is commendable, marred only by occasional crush in night sequences. Critically, the source material remains free of dirt and debris, ensuring a clean and pleasing viewing experience.

Overall, this detailed and clean presentation breathes new life into "The Goodbye Girl," providing fans with an engaging and visually satisfying experience that honors the film's original aesthetic while leveraging modern digital restoration techniques.

The audio presentation of "The Goodbye Girl" on Blu-ray features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track, meticulously transferred from the original magnetic master. Despite the inherent limitations of the source material, including a restricted dynamic range and some noticeable post-dubbing inconsistencies, the track faithfully captures the film’s dialogue-driven soundscape. Notable atmospheric effects, such as the heavy rain accompanying Elliot's arrival at the apartment, are rendered with precision, showcasing the track’s ability to authentically reproduce key ambient sounds.

Dave Grusin's understated score, an integral component of the film's auditory experience, is delivered with commendable clarity, filling the room effortlessly. The sonic accents—ranging from urban sounds like screeching car wheels and thunderous claps to the nuanced cityscape activity—are crisp and distinct. The audio maintains a commendably wide dynamic range, handling both high and low frequencies without distortion. Moreover, the absence of age-related audio artifacts such as hiss, pops, or crackles underscores the quality of this transfer. Overall, the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track performs its role proficiently, ensuring that Simon’s sharp dialogue and Grusin’s music are both clear and engaging throughout.

The Blu-ray release of "The Goodbye Girl" offers limited supplementary content, focusing solely on a high-definition remaster of the original theatrical trailer. While the trailer is well-presented in 1080p, the absence of additional features such as retrospective interviews or featurettes leaves much to be desired, especially for a film of this stature. The disc lacks depth in its extras, mirroring previous bare-bones DVD releases. Despite the quality of the trailer's presentation, the overall offering feels sparse and may disappoint fans looking for more comprehensive behind-the-scenes content.

Extras included in this disc:

• Original Theatrical Trailer: A high-definition 1080p remaster of the three-minute original theatrical trailer for "The Goodbye Girl."

Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl" remains a significant piece in his oeuvre, reflecting his knack for blending humor with poignant character studies. Released in 1977, the film centers on Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason), a former Broadway dancer, and her tumultuous relationship with Elliot Garfield (Richard Dreyfuss), an actor with eccentric tendencies. After being abruptly abandoned by her lover, Paula finds herself unexpectedly sharing her apartment with Elliot, leading to a series of comedic and heartfelt exchanges. Dreyfuss’s performance, brimming with energy and charm, earned him an Oscar for Best Actor, although the role's stylistic demands may not resonate with contemporary viewers as strongly.

The screenplay, initially intended for a different narrative trajectory, showcases Simon's stage roots with its limited settings and dialogue-driven humor. Simon skillfully navigates the comedic potential of everyday situations—whether it's the tension over shared domestic space or the absurdity of Elliot's interpretation of Shakespeare’s Richard III. However, the film's predictability and staged dialogue can sometimes detract from the characters' believability. Mason's portrayal of Paula against Dreyfuss’s vivid Elliot maintains the necessary chemistry that drives the narrative forward, despite certain dated elements in the plot and dialogue.

The Blu-ray release provides a pristine look at this iconic romantic comedy. The video codec is presented in 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 with audio in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono, ensuring high-quality viewing. While "The Goodbye Girl" may show its age in some respects, its appeal lies in its nostalgic charm and the timeless quality of Simon’s acute observations on human relationships.

Warner Archive's Blu-ray release of "The Goodbye Girl" showcases a seminal piece in Neil Simon's repertoire, capturing the quintessential quirks of New York City romance through the interplay between Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason. While the film's 1970s setting has aged, the central romance and distinctive chemistry of its lead actors remain remarkably engaging. Simon's sharp dialogue and the film’s humor continue to resonate, albeit with slightly diminished cultural relevance.

Technically, Warner Archive's presentation is commendable. The video transfer is crisp, with consistent color grading that retains the film's vintage aesthetic without sacrificing clarity. Audio quality is effectively balanced, ensuring that Simon’s dialogue and David Gates’ soundtrack are both clear and immersive. However, fans may be disappointed by the absence of supplemental features, which could have provided further context and enriched the viewing experience.

In conclusion, "The Goodbye Girl" retains its charm despite some dated elements. The film provides new viewers an illuminating glimpse into Simon's world while satisfying long-time enthusiasts with its heartfelt narrative. The Warner Archive Collection's Blu-ray treatment is solid, making this classic rom-com a valuable addition to any collection. Highly recommended.