Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Mia Farrow, Michael Tolan, Sunny Griffin, Stanley Beck
Release Year: 1969
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
John and Mary attracted a great deal of press coverage in 1969 for being the one of the first American films in which the male and female leads (Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow) start out the film by spending the night together, rather than holding off until the end. The morning after, the boy and girl wander about New York, wondering if they'll truly commit themselves to one another. Both characters are haunted by unsuccessful earlier affairs, and both have enough hang-ups to fill volumes of psychological textbooks. Come nightfall, John and Mary end up back in bed...and learn each other's names for the first time. John and Mary was considered "beautiful," "progressive" and "significant" in the permissive 1960s; nowadays it's about as controversial as The CBS Morning News. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
John and Mary comes across as quite dated when seen today; for some that will be too big a hurdle to overcome, for others it may add to their interest in and appreciation of the film. Certainly, John and Mary succeeds in capturing some of the zeitgeist late '60s society and late '60s American moviemaking. As a time capsule of either or both, it is quite interesting. As timeless drama, however, the film is less effective. It's a bit too self-conscious; one gets the feeling that the creators were trying too hard to create something "new" or "different." Commendably, director Peter Yates decides to relate the tale in an unhurried manner, letting the film proceed at its own pace and opening up the possibility that the audience can simply be drawn into a study of two characters. Unfortunately, these characters and their problems are not interesting enough to warrant this approach, and after a while it simply emphasizes their shallowness. Fortunately, Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow are on hand, both offering very honest, affecting performances that indicate a depth to the characters that is not to be found in the writing, and make much of the movie work better than it should. As a character study, John and Mary is quite flawed, but it succeeds as a showcase for two talented actors. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Tyne Daly - Hilary; Alix Elias - Jane; Marian Mercer - Mags Elliot; Susan Taylor - Minnie; Olympia Dukakis - John's Mother; Marilyn Chris - His Wife; Richard Clarke - Charlie; Julie Garfield - Fran; Marvin Lichterman - Dean; Cleavon Little - Film Director; Carl Parker - Tennis Player; Kristoffer Tabori - Boy Scout
Credit
Robert Wightman - Art Director, Anthea Sylbert - Costume Designer, Peter Yates - Director, Frank Keller - Editor, Quincy Jones - Composer (Music Score), Marilyn Bergman - Songwriter, Jones Alan - Songwriter, Irving Buchman - Makeup, John Robert Lloyd - Production Designer, Gayne Rescher - Cinematographer, Ben Kadish - Producer, Phil Smith - Set Designer, L.B. Abbott - Special Effects, Art Cruickshank - Special Effects, David Dockendorf - Sound/Sound Designer, Mervyn Jones - Screenwriter, John Mortimer - Screenwriter, Mervyn Jones - Book Author
It was released theatrically in North America on December 14, 1969.[1] It received an R rating upon its original release,[2] which was later downgraded to a PG rating.
John & Mary begins the morning after John and Mary meet in a bar, during a conversation about Jean-Luc Godard's Week End, and go home with each other. The story unfolds during the day as they belatedly get to know each other over breakfast, lunch and dinner. Flashbacks of their previous bad relationships are interspersed throughout when something in their conversation brings the thought up.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times says, "John and Mary is supposed to be a contemporary movie, I guess, and yet it's curiously out of touch. John and Mary shadow box uneasily with the American language, trying to sound like all people their age without sounding too much like any particular person."[3] John Thompson of the Orlando Weekly calls it "a delectable New Wave–inspired dish for thoughtful viewers tired of the same old menu."[4]Vincent Canby of The New York Times concludes, "There is nothing wrong with the idea of John and Mary, just with its execution."[5]
