Peter runs a New York tour. Christine is a recently widowed art gallery owner, and she falls in love with him. But, her 10-year-old son loves her way too much and has an unhealthy and pathol... Read allPeter runs a New York tour. Christine is a recently widowed art gallery owner, and she falls in love with him. But, her 10-year-old son loves her way too much and has an unhealthy and pathological attachment to his mother.Peter runs a New York tour. Christine is a recently widowed art gallery owner, and she falls in love with him. But, her 10-year-old son loves her way too much and has an unhealthy and pathological attachment to his mother.
Jeanne Tanzy Williams
- Mary
- (as Jeanne Tanzy)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn her blog, Jeanne Tanzy Williams talked about her nude scene: "In my role as Mary the babysitter I had a topless scene with young Scott Jacoby. It was quite an innocent scene between two young kids discovering the excitement and sexuality of their little bodies. The day of the shoot for that scene I was very scarred. So much so that on the first take when I had to drop my dress and take off my tiny trainers bra, I fainted dead on the floor. It was, of course, a closed set, meaning no one but actively needed crew would be there. But of course the crew that remained, i.e., camera man, boom operator, director, script girl, lighting men, etc., etc. was quite enough to make me feel, well.... strange to say the least! After I came too... the camera man admitted to having no film in the camera for that first take. Guess he instinctively knew it would be a wash. By the end of that days shoot I was pretty relaxed on set even in my nudity and actually traded jokes with the crew."
- Alternate versionsIn the original ending Jamie is crying for his mother, who is dying in a fire on the other side of the door, followed by a scene where Peter waves up to Jamie, looking down from a window. Jamie has apparently been institutionalized. This ending was also in an early VHS version called "Deadly Rivals," but there is a version in circulation, also with the "Deadly Rivals" title, where it cuts from Jamie crying by the door to a shot of a fireplace with superimposed film credits.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Teaser (1974)
Featured review
Quality Story and Acting Marred by Editing and Soundtrack
Watching Rivals, I found myself alternating between moments of intense desire to see what happens next, on the one hand, and a mix of boredom and annoyance on the other.
Widowed mother Christine (Joan Hackett) is providing inconsistent discipline to her 10-year-old prodigy son Jamie (14 y.o. Scott Jacoby), who resents her dating anyone. Jamie's attachment to his mother may be partly sexual, or he may just be spoiled, not wanting anyone to have what he can't have, as shown when he drives a wedge between his baby-sitter and her boyfriend. When Christine remarries, to the much more happy-go-lucky (and annoying) Peter (Robert Klein), Jamie slowly succumbs to psychopathy, and events go poorly for everyone.
The story line is very believable, other than portraying prodigal mental ability as linked with precocious sexual interest and development. (This may just reflect the state of 1970s science). Hackett and Klein provide their usual top professional performances. And young Scott Jacoby does a terrific job playing a much younger boy, even when he acts out as more childish to manipulate the adults. Some viewers may complain about the make-out scene between Mary and 10-year-old character Jamie, although the actual content is relatively mild (limited contact, primarily implied or simulated) and the actor (Jacoby) is actually 14. Jeanne Tanzy Williams comes across very credibly as Mary, a teen girl facing the always difficult sexual quandary of When Will I, and With Whom.
Another director might have made an almost-great film out of this. Unfortunately, periods of not much happening, intended to show relationships having time to grow, last way too long and don't provide side benefits such as character development. Even more annoying were several frantic video montages that were too disjointed to convey plot points coherently and too rapid to place in context. And the soundtrack, as many reviewers have noted, was bizarre, ranging from saccharine to pseudo-funkadelic; it rarely adds and often detracts from the experience. Still, the acting and story line make this film worth watching once.
Widowed mother Christine (Joan Hackett) is providing inconsistent discipline to her 10-year-old prodigy son Jamie (14 y.o. Scott Jacoby), who resents her dating anyone. Jamie's attachment to his mother may be partly sexual, or he may just be spoiled, not wanting anyone to have what he can't have, as shown when he drives a wedge between his baby-sitter and her boyfriend. When Christine remarries, to the much more happy-go-lucky (and annoying) Peter (Robert Klein), Jamie slowly succumbs to psychopathy, and events go poorly for everyone.
The story line is very believable, other than portraying prodigal mental ability as linked with precocious sexual interest and development. (This may just reflect the state of 1970s science). Hackett and Klein provide their usual top professional performances. And young Scott Jacoby does a terrific job playing a much younger boy, even when he acts out as more childish to manipulate the adults. Some viewers may complain about the make-out scene between Mary and 10-year-old character Jamie, although the actual content is relatively mild (limited contact, primarily implied or simulated) and the actor (Jacoby) is actually 14. Jeanne Tanzy Williams comes across very credibly as Mary, a teen girl facing the always difficult sexual quandary of When Will I, and With Whom.
Another director might have made an almost-great film out of this. Unfortunately, periods of not much happening, intended to show relationships having time to grow, last way too long and don't provide side benefits such as character development. Even more annoying were several frantic video montages that were too disjointed to convey plot points coherently and too rapid to place in context. And the soundtrack, as many reviewers have noted, was bizarre, ranging from saccharine to pseudo-funkadelic; it rarely adds and often detracts from the experience. Still, the acting and story line make this film worth watching once.
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- Runtime1 hour 44 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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