CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Ed Uyeshima Watching Jill Clayburgh relegated to playing Kristen Wiig's pixilated, supportive mother in her last posthumous screen appearance in "Bridesmaids" made me flashback briefly to how vibrant a screen presence she was for that brief period between the late seventies and early eighties when the actress represented the feminist ideal on the big screen. For this 1978 dramedy, director/screenwriter Paul Mazursky bypassed several then-bigger names to cast Clayburgh as Erica, an affluent, late-thirtyish Manhattan woman who looks to be leading a charmed life – wife to Martin, a successful stockbroker; mother to Patti, a precocious fifteen-year-old daughter, and part-time employee at a Soho art gallery. However, in one flash of a moment as she talks of summer rental plans on Fire Island, a suddenly bereft Martin collapses and reveals he is in love with another woman, leaving Erica shattered as she battles between reason and rejection with her barely concealed anger.From that point forward in the movie, Mazursky and Clayburgh take us on a hazardous journey of self-discovery which may appear predictable now after hundreds of Lifetime TV-movies but was quite groundbreaking at the time. True, there is a self-satisfying tone to a few of the scenes, especially the inevitable ones with Erica's bohemian, overly serene therapist, but what transcends those glitches is the honesty that permeates her comically awkward attempts at dating, her overreaction to Patti's sexual awakening, and the confessional conversations she has with her circle of best friends, an obvious inspiration for Michael Patrick King in "Sex and the City". The last quarter of the film gets a bit soft and talky, but the ambiguous ending is classic Mazursky.The performances still hold up very well after all these years with Clayburgh at her undeniable peak fulfilling all the dimensions of an emotionally rich role. Michael Murphy has the unenviable task of playing Martin as both an adulterous weasel and a misguided fool, but he manages it well. As Saul, the popular modern artist who comes to embody everything ideal in an emotionally available male, Alan Bates handles a comparatively easier job with remarkable restraint. A popular child actress at the time, Lisa Lucas plays Patti with brittle sharpness, while Kelly Bishop, Pat Quinn and Linda Miller portray Erica's pals with believable dexterity. Only Cliff Gorman seems rather over-the-top as a lecherous artist on the make for the newly single Erica. The 2006 DVD thankfully offers a lively and informative commentary track from Mazursky and the late Clayburgh as well as the original theatrical trailer.

Syl Jill Clayburgh was a brilliant actress. In this film, she is the leading lady, Erica Benton. As the film progresses with great New York City locales to really boost the city in 1978, Erica loses her marriage and somewhat goes through an identity crisis. She is also a mother of a teenage daughter, Patty, who goes to private school in wealthy Upper East Side of Manhattan. Erica and her husband, Martin, live in a fabulous spacious apartment on the Upper East Side. She works downtown at an art gallery part-time. When Martin announces that he's leaving her for a younger model, she's speechless. Erica is truly believable when she faces a life changed forever. She relies on her best girlfriends and it reminds me of another foursome. The women are believable and likable but they are also very supportive of Erica during this time. Also, Erica starts seeing a therapist. Michael Murphy's Martin is well-done. Sir Alan Bates does a brilliant job as Saul Kaplan, the artist. But really the cast and crew did a fantastic believable job. I love watching films in the 1970s about New York City.

sddavis63 What can you say about the 1970's? It was a bleak, dark, pointlessly down decade. Made toward the end of the 70's (in 1978) "An Unmarried Woman" pretty much captures that feeling perfectly. It was bleak, dark and pointless. It begins with a marriage between Erica and Martin (Jill Clayburgh and Michael Murphy) that seems OK on the outside, but you know from the start that there are problems. It spends most of its time watching Erica try to rebuild her life after Martin confesses that he's fallen in love with a younger woman and leaves her, then it ends on a rather pointless note as her new beau (played by Alan Bates) gives her a huge painting that she struggles to carry home. It's needlessly long (and seems longer thanks to a slow script) and - aside from Clayburgh's performance (which was quite good) - does remind me of the '70's (and I'm not just talking about how absolutely and hopelessly dated the movie seems.) Like December 31, 1979 - when you were just glad the decade was over and you could move on to the 80's, even though you had no idea what the 80's would bring - you're just glad this movie comes to an end and you can move on to something else, no matter what it might be. 2/10

boiler74 Somehow I missed "An Unmarried Woman" when I was a senior in college, but I remember hearing about it. Finally, about five years ago, I was flipping through the channels, and I happened upon this gem. I realize some people might consider this film "dated," but other than period pieces, all movies are eventually "dated" in one aspect or another.I thought Jill Clayburgh was gorgeous and showed herself to be quite a feisty "Erica Benton." Michael Murphy as her husband Martin was extremely annoying and self-centered, but that was his role and the whole reason wife Erica was sent into the world of unmarried women.I enjoyed the music, the setting, and the general feeling of having lived through that time (1977-1978). Sadly, several key actors from the film are gone (Alan Bates, Cliff Gorman, Penelope Russianoff), but this movie will live on as it captured the post-Vietnam era quite well. It sounds odd now to say the movie was a breakthrough for women, but for its time, it was pretty controversial.It's nice to see Jill Clayburgh active on Broadway and the silver screen once again. I'm looking forward to her role on the upcoming TV series "Dirty Sexy Money." I can't wait to see her in scenes with "Six Feet Under" star Peter Krause!