The Heartbreak Kid

"A hip, hot and sexy lesson in love."

1972 1h 45m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 113

RomanceComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three days into his Miami honeymoon with needy and unsophisticated Lila, Lenny meets tall, blonde Kelly. This confirms his fear that he has made a serious mistake and he decides he wants to be with Kelly instead.

“A hip, hot and sexy lesson in love.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Charles Grodin
Lenny Cantrow
Cybill Shepherd
Kelly Corcoran
Jeannie Berlin
Lila Kolodny
Eddie Albert
Duane Corcoran
Audra Lindley
Mrs. Corcoran
Mitchell Jason
Cousin Ralph
William Prince
Colorado Man
Augusta Dabney
Colorado Woman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Elaine May
Writers: Bruce Jay Friedman, Neil Simon
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Elaine May, shot by Owen Roizman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Garry Sherman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Carter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd and Jeannie Berlin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A hip, hot and sexy lesson in love.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0068687 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Elaine May directs. Owen Roizman behind the camera. Garry Sherman scores. John Carter cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

154 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Elaine May, shot by Owen Roizman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Garry Sherman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor John Carter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd and Jeannie Berlin carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A hip, hot and sexy lesson in love.".
7IMDB entry: tt0068687 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 10 themes, including "miami, florida", "honeymoon", "marriage", "newlywed".

The technical file

Cinematography: Owen Roizman
Original score: Garry Sherman
Editing: John Carter
Costume design: Anthea Sylbert
Makeup / hair: Bob Grimaldi
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $5,600,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

Also by

Elaine May

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-07-14
★ 7/10
Maybe if you are planning on courting a man’s daughter, telling him that you are a newlywed isn’t the best tactic? Well that’s a clue as to the obsession faced by the hapless “Lenny” (Charles Grodin) who has just called mazel tov with new wife “Lila” (Jeannie Berlin) and driven to the coast for their honeymoon. It doesn’t take him long, though, before he finds himself on a certain spot on the beach that belongs to “Kelly” (Cybill Shepherd). Then it’s her seat at the bar, indeed just about everywhere he goes she appears close behind. He takes quite a shine to her, and as luck would have it his poor wife gets a serious dose of sunburn which confines her to bed. Whilst she is bedridden, “Lenny” embarks on a series of daft shenanigans that culminates in him gatecrashing a dinner with whom he hopes will soon be his new, and wealthy, in-laws. Her mum (Audra Lindley) is polite enough but dad (Eddie Albert) wants nothing to do with this wastrel, and when the aforementioned declaration is made, well you can just imagination the reaction. Not to be deterred, “Lenny” decides he has to take matters into hand and try to do right by everyone, but what chance he isn’t just going to end up with an empty sack? There are four strong performances here and Neil Simon’s witty and pithy dialogue manages to keep the plot just about on the right side of contrived as the increasingly unlikeable “Lenny” let’s his hormones selfishly take over. There’s one scene with him, poor old “Lila”, some pecan pie (or not) and a quarter for the toilet that is really quite cringingly funny to watch play out but it rather epitomises his character whilst allowing the frequently scene-stealing Berlin to positively but quite subtly shine. I can’t say I loved the ending but along the way it does poke a little fun at Jewish neuroses, holiday romances and the superciliousness of the male ego.

Production companies