Just The Way You Are (1984) Watching this long forgotten obscure little romantic comedy led us to a bout of pondering......
........that it's a tough, tough road for young actresses as they steer their way through the ups and downs of a TV and film career.
A sturdy, steady talented few enjoy a lifetime of exemplary work that takes them through adolescence, young adulthood, middle age and even into what's referred to as 'the golden years'.....
But many of them, for a variety of reasons, drop off the entertainment world radar......never to be seen or heard from again.......(unless they tangle with the law, or become seriously ill.....or die.)
Some can't make the transition from the 'young girl' roles to playing moms and other middle-agers, some simply don't possess the acting chops and/or the sheer ambitious drive required to pursue roles in the highly competitive, cutthroat show biz universe........
And some simply tire of the actor's life, with all its vagaries and reversals of fortune......they simply drop out and find something they find more fulfilling, more personally rewarding......(which could be anything from selling real estate to cake baking.)
Which brings us to the star of 'Just The Way You Are' Kristy McNichol, who for awhile enjoyed a busy acting career as a child, teen and young adult......
With a mop of brown hair, large expressive eyes, a dazzling smile and a down-to-earth mixture of self-confidence and vulnerability, she was the quintessential girl-next-door......that funny looking, mischievous kid who'd make you suddenly slap your head and say....'hey wait a minute, she's beautiful!'
"Just The Way You Are" is the only one of her films specifically fashioned as a romantic comedy vehicle for her carry on her own, with no recognizable stars playing the men vying for her attention.
A high profile co-star might have rendered the film more popular with audiences and might have even sent McNichol down a path to become America's new movie sweetheart. She was easily sweet, adorable and relatable enough to wear that crown.
You couldn't help rooting for her, playing a concert level flutist whose romantic life suffers from having one leg in a steel brace, the result of a childhood illness.
Weary of being pitied,passed over, or sometimes even cradle carried by her potential dates, she opts to disguise her affliction with a white plaster cast.........and then promptly heads for a posh French ski resort, where she appears perfectly normal mingling with the crowds peppered with other cast wearers who tumbled on the slopes.
Romantic complications, as they say........ensue.
Ultra light, slight and fluffy, the film manages to bob along on a smart, witty script by Allan Burns, creator of the 'The Mary Tyler Moore' show and also depends hugely on McNichol's innate charm, which she supplies here in vast amounts.
But returning to the original pondering of this post, stardom and major film roles eluded McNichol who eventually joined that list of starlets who dropped out of the Hollywood rat race and opted for a different life.
BQ always wishes her the best, but in watching "Just The Way You Are", we wished the fates had awarded her a film career equal to her talents. God knows, we've suffered through the work of enough so-called 'America Sweethearts' unworthy of that title. For McNichol, 3 & 1/2 stars (***1/2)
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