The Woman in Red (1984)

Gene Wilder plays Teddy Pierce, a married San Francisco businessman that fancies having a fling with a gorgeous model (LeBrock) he has had an infatuation with.  Overcome with conflicting emotions of guilt and lust, he has trouble coordinating the time and place when he can get away from his wife (Ivey) and kids, and constantly rethinks whether or not it is such a great idea, especially since his best friends are having relationship problems of their own due to infidelity.  

Fans of Gene Wilder will be especially fond of this otherwise trifling comedy, a remake of the French film Pardon Mon Affaire, that’s more famous for the early PG-13 rating, as well as containing the hit Stevie Wonder classic, “I Just Called to Say I Love You”.  It is sporadically funny, sometimes hilarious, but most of the funny bits occur early on, becoming more farfetched in its farcical nature as the film nears its end.  

This would also be the film that introduced Kelly LeBrock to the film world, whose stunning looks serve her well when she displays little range in acting, and since she plays only an object of desire here, she fits the bill.  It’s a stretch to believe that she would be interested in bumping uglies with Teddy, but we’ll chalk that up to creative license taken on the part of Wilder, being the screenwriter and director. Wilder’s real-life future wife, Gilda Radner, gets a funny supporting role as an office worker that mistakenly thinks she is the one Teddy is after, only to get stood up when he can’t make the engagement.

Qwipster’s rating: B

MPAA Rated: PG-13 for brief nudity, sexuality, and language
Running Time: 87 min.

Cast: Gene Wilder, Charles Grodin, Judith Ivey, Joseph Bologna, Kelly LeBrock, Gilda Radner, Michael Huddleston
Director: Gene Wilder
Screenplay: Gene Wilder (based on the film Un éléphant ça Trompe énormément, aka Pardon Mon Affaire)