Review of Chilly Scenes of Winter

It's winter. It's cold. Everything seems worse then. And, when you're lonely, miserable and pining for a lost love, that's the worst. We see John Heard get into a car and suddenly Mary Beth Hurt speaks to him from the back seat. But then we see the conversation is in his mind. He still thinks about her. He still needs her, even though she's with someone else. The bittersweet mood is set and we are in for a ride that is both hysterical and somber. It's the kind of laughter that makes us cry. John Heard gives a very understated performance and Gloria Grahame is good as his very kooky mother. And, despite all the fun and love shared between John and Mary Beth in flashback, we see the reality that John refuses to see. He still sits in his car outside her place. He's lost, but finally has to come to terms with survival before he goes crazy. He goes for a candy bar in the lobby of the office-building he works in throughout the film and can never decide what he wants and can't speak up to the blind guy behind the counter, until he finally has a breakdown. This 1979 sleeper really entertains without basking too much in the dumps. Sure it seems depressing, but you never feel down. There's always hope with John Heard's charming personality, Peter Reigert's performance as his friend, and the true-to-life treatment and love for the subject matter by the director Joan Micklin Silver. A tour de force by all concerned and a must-see for all those searching for love.