Oliver's Story

Plot

Get ready for another dose of love and loss in this sequel to the four-handkerchief classic Love Story (1970). Oliver Barrett (Ryan O'Neal) is emotionally devastated after the death of his wife Jenny, and while he tries to lose himself in his work as a lawyer, the long hours don't ease his pain, especially when he finds that his leftist views conflict with those of the senior partners at the firm. Eventually, Oliver's inconsolable grief begins to alienate those around him, until he finds new love with Marcie Bonwit (Candice Bergen), the wealthy and beautiful heir to the Bonwit-Teller fortune. Despite his affection for Marcie, Oliver finds it difficult to leave the memory of Jenny behind, which causes major problems in his relationship with Marcie. Ray Milland reprises his role from the first film as Oliver's father; the supporting cast includes Charles M. Haid, Swoosie Kurtz, and Jose Torres. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Review

Love Story may not have been a great film, but it knew how to make audiences care about what was ultimately just another sappy romance; the entirely unnecessary sequel, Oliver's Story, on the other hand, is a pointless film that will only alienate those who were devotees of the original. Clearly, Oliver was made not because the original story demanded a follow-up to make the sags complete but simply because somebody hoped to make another barrel of money. This mercenary spirit not only shows; it infuses the entire film. Oliver may start out as a lawyer with a concern for correcting social problems, but by the end of the film he has joined the ranks of lawyers who are more concerned with making a pile. The character's intense despair over his dead wife would be understandable and moving in real life, but it's presented here as a plot point and feel forced; the viewer gets tired and feels he's doing nothing but moping and whining. The supposed new love he hopes to find with Candice Bergen's character is shallow and not especially believable. Worse, it's all dreadfully boring. After the first ten minutes, one is ready to give up, but keeps watching in the hope that things will get better -- or at least livelier. They don't. Ryan O'Neal is only a shadow of his former Love Story self performance-wise; Bergen tries hard, but is ultimately not very effective. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Ryan O'Neal - Oliver Barrett IV
• Candice Bergen - Marcie Bonwit
• Nicola Pagett - Joanna Stone
• Edward Binns - Phil Cavilleri
• Benson Fong - John Hsiang

Charles Haid - Stephen Simpson; Ray Milland - Oliver Barrett; Kenneth McMillan - James Francis; Josef Sommer - Dr. Dienhart; Sully Boyar - Mr. Gentilano; Swoosie Kurtz - Gwen Simpson; Meg Mundy - Mrs. Barrett; Herb Braha; Wilfredo Hernandez - Community Activist; Gloria Irizarry - Cleaning Woman; Peter Looney - Bus Terminal Announcer; Cynthia McPherson - Anita; Ann Risley - 2nd Girl in Bar; Deborah Rush - 1st Girl in Bar; Sol Schwade - Arlie; José Torres - Community Activist; Fr. Frank Toste - Fr. Giamatti; Louis Turenne - Waiter; Beatrice Winde - Waltereen

Credit

Robert Gundlach - Art Director, Peggy Farrell - Costume Designer, Mel Howard - First Assistant Director, John Korty - Director, Stuart H. Pappe - Editor, Lee Holdridge - Composer (Music Score), Francis Lai - Composer (Music Score), Francis Lai - Songwriter, Arthur Ornitz - Cinematographer, David V. Picker - Producer, Phil Smith - Set Designer, Jack C. Jacobsen - Sound/Sound Designer, Steve James - Stunts, Erich Segal - Screenwriter, John Korty - Screenwriter, Erich Segal - Book Author

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Next:	Oliver's Travels (1995 Film), Olivia (1983 Film)