The Man Who Loved Women (1983)

The Man Who Loved Women would have been better off if it had pretended to be an original film rather than a remake of François Truffaut's vastly superior original. At least then, a viewer would not be constantly reminded of how Truffaut and his collaborators created a film that had something important and personal to say about male-female relationships. Blake Edwards, although an accomplished farceur when he wants to be, has none of the insight or depth of Truffaut, and as a result his Man is nothing more than a superficial sex comedy -- or an attempt at one, at least. Unfortunately, Edwards has retained just enough of the original to stunt the humor in his creation. There's very little that's truly funny here, and much of it is strained and plodding. Burt Reynolds does a more than credible job with the material, playing well off of his own public persona and utilizing his innate sense of comic timing to good effect. He can't overcome the limitations of the script and direction, but he does make much of the film worth watching. Julie Andrews is stuck with a part that requires her to do very little but listen. This she does remarkably well, but to what purpose? Kim Basinger makes more of an impression, perhaps because she at least is given something to do. Man is a misfire, but the cast at least provides some fun. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide