Cast: Jerry Stiller, Ann Meara, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Adams, Bob Dishy, Paul Benedict , Louis Zorich, Pamela Gray, Lauren Pratt, Missy Yager
Director: Joan Micklin Silver
Producers: Charles Darby, Raphael D. Silver
Screenplay: John Silverstein & David Chudnovsky & Raphael D. Silver
Cinematography: Daniel Shulman
Music: John Hill
U.S. Distributor: Northern Arts Entertainment
Romantic comedies are a dime a dozen. Romantic comedies where both leads are in their late-'60s are almost unheard-of, yet that's exactly what A Fish in the Bathtub is. A vehicle for the husband-and-wife comedy team of Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara, this movie is a low-key, pleasant diversion. It is also hardly being released anywhere (the distributor, Northern Arts Entertainment, probably has only a limited number of prints available to slowly snake their way across North America).
Many of today's movie-goers may know Stiller & Meara only as the parents of Ben Stiller (or, worse still, as the stars of a popular series of radio commercials that ran in the '80s). Those who are from an older generation will remember them as one of the most recognizable comedy acts of the '70s, when stand-up was more tame. The two are veterans of live stage and television, and, along the way, they have established more than a few film credits. They have also been married for more than 40 years, and their easy, comfortable rapport comes across in every scene when they're together. Chemistry is one of the indefinables that determines the success or failure of a romantic comedy, and Stiller & Meara obviously have it.
Sam (Stiller) and Molly (Meara) enjoy a longtime relationship based on sniping and bickering. After four decades of marriage, the blissful early years have long since dissolved into faded memories, and their two children have flown the coop. So, left with just each other, arguing has become "like a hobby for them." When he smokes, she throws out his cigars. When he turns down the gas on the oven burner, she turns it up. When she opens the window, he closes it. And when she tells him to get rid of the carp he has put in the guest bathroom tub, he declares, "The fish stays!" For the most part, however, it's a give and take relationship, with each side winning skirmishes in their ongoing war - until Sam goes too far and humiliates Molly in front of their friends. The next thing Sam knows, she has packed her bags, moved in with their grown son, Joel (Mark Ruffalo), and is dating a tired old windbag named Lou (Bob Dishy). Sam is convinced Molly will come back, but his daughter, Ruth (Jane Adams, last seen as the hapless neurotic in Happiness), disagrees and tells her father that if he doesn't do something to mend his ways, he may never see his wife again.
The story of Sam and Molly's breakup is interwoven with several subplots. One involves Joel's temptation to stray from his wife, who wants another baby. Joel is a real estate salesman and one of his clients, a sexy blond, is interested in him for more than his house-selling skills. Meanwhile, Ruth, who has no life of her own to speak of, can't stop sticking her nose into everyone else's business. And a group of Sam's friends function as his conscience, reminding him how stupid he was to let a good woman like Molly get away.
Plot-wise, although A Fish in the Bathtub is predictable and almost sit-com like in its trajectory, I nevertheless enjoyed its simple charm. The dialogue and acting are where this film shines: both are polished and effective. Much of the humor, despite being more sedate than what audiences have become accustomed to in comedies (translated: few jokes involve sex, bodily fluids, or bathroom acts), is funny. The comic highlight is a visit by the whole family to a therapist's office where all sorts of unsavory secrets come into the open. It's an example of how good writing and effective comic timing can generate laughter.
The director of A Fish in the Bathtub is Joan Micklin Silver, whose resume includes 1988's Crossing Delancey. Like that movie, this one generates warm humor and an element of pathos out of a standard storyline. However, while the focus in Crossing Delancey was on the romantic aspect, here it's skewed towards the comedy (with Stiller and Meara given top billing, that's hardly surprising). In fact, it wouldn't be unreasonable to call this outing Grumpy Old Spouses. That not only describes the film's tone, but the attitude of the protagonists, as well.
© 1999 James Berardinelli