Falling in Love (1984)

Frank Raftis (Robert De Niro) is an architectural engineer who commutes into New York City from his suburban home nestled in Westchester County, where he lives comfortably with his wife, Ann (Jane Kaczmarek), and two children.

Molly Gilmore (Meryl Streep) is a freelance commercial artist who also commutes to the Big Apple from a neighbouring suburb to visit her ailing father at a city hospital. She is married to a doctor named Brian (David Clennon), but they have no family. They had a baby, but it died five days after birth, and the couple have not considered another try.

Frank’s marriage is not particularly unhappy – it’s just a little stale. The news that his best friend Ed (Harvey Keitel) is getting divorced does not weaken his doubts about perennial marital bliss.

Molly likewise has a downtown friend, Isabelle (Dianne Wiest), who represents the wilder side of life and will run off to the Caribbean with any acceptable man who asks her, as long as there is no long-term commitment involved.

Isabel detects Molly’s romantic vulnerability and encourages her shy friend to take the plunge if an affair should present itself.

Director Ulu Grosbard teases us by postponing Frank and Molly’s inevitable meeting, making them ships that pass in the night as they share a commuter train carriage, make simultaneous phone calls from adjoining phone booths, barely miss each other on an elevator, and do their Christmas shopping at the same department store.

They finally collide in Manhattan’s Rizzoli bookstore, spilling their packages of presents as they exit the store. During the confusion, the (wrapped) books each had bought for their respective spouses are mistakenly exchanged, and there are recognitive glances of a fellow searching soul.

Although their initial bumpy introduction is short and nameless, both Frank and Molly sense an attraction that is recharged when they meet again three months later on the train, which eventually leads to innocent luncheon dates and conversations that they now rarely have with their mates.

The climactic choice must be faced, though. Should Frank and Molly return to their passionless marriages or seek happiness in each other’s arms?

Despite the slow-moving plot and disappointing script, Streep and De Niro show why they are two of Cinema’s greatest actors. Streep is especially impressive in sorting out Molly’s feelings for her husband, her extramarital interest, and the whole situation in general.

Frank Raftis
Robert De Niro
Molly Gilmore
Meryl Streep
Ed Lasky
Harvey Keitel
Ann Raftis
Jane Kaczmarek
John Trainer
George Martin
Brian Gilmore
David Clennon
Isabelle
Dianne Wiest
Victor Rawlins
Victor Argo
Mike Raftis
Wiley Earl
Joe Raftis
Jesse Bradford

Director
Ulu Grosbard

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