Blu-ray Review – Looking for Mr. Goodbar

"Looking for Mr. Goodbar" began its journey as a book by Judith Rossner, who was inspired by a true crime tale of murder involving a schoolteacher who was learning to experience life on her own terms. The story of Roseann Quinn and her violent end is extremely disturbing, tasking Rossner to best understand motivation, exploring the world of the victim and other professional and environmental influences. The 1977 film adaptation looks to dramatize this experience, putting writer/director Richard Brooks ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Elmer Gantry") on a mission to visualize an intense journey of self-exploration, and also sell the passage of time as the main character develops emotionally and sexually. "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" is a tough sit, and not always for the right reasons. The core study of pressure and pain remains intact, along with an understanding of empowerment, but Brooks generates an incredibly unwieldy movie at times, often losing sight of the central journey to deal with broad performances and unnecessary dramatic detours, which fail to contribute to the psychological profile being created here. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com