BAREFOOT IN THE PARK (1967) *** Newlywed Jane Fonda is about one pickup stick shy of falling into the abyss of bipolar syndrome, and husband/lawyer Robert Redford is is danger of premature disintegration due to being boring, and bored. Charles Boyer lives upstairs in a kimono and Jane's mom takes advice on being an irritating mother-in-law from Mabel Albertson (Darrin Stevens' irritating and idiotic mom on "Bewitched"). Jane is very good at being bubbly, Redford's imminently believable though not exactly typecast as the dull guy, the Neil Simon dialogue crackles and is mostly well delivered, but....it might have been even smarter and more entertaining to see them together off stage in those heady days when Jane championed chemical and political revolutions and Robert's environmental allegiance was to something more authentic and intelligent than the Democratic Party. The stars work well together, particularly after Redford takes up binge drinking and littering in order to save the marriage. It's kind of weird...not only are the divergently strange and wonderful Fonda and Redford attracted to each other, but their apartment building is surrounded by an invisible force shield that precludes residents and visitors from thinking to stop for a break when walking up the steps.
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