User Reviews

Pacino's characters are always warm, intimate and personal - yes even Michael Corleone - and in this film also sensitive and kind. Here he gets to share those qualities with lucky children whose parents abandon them.

As a father, he's tough when he needs to be, tender and concerned when he's called on to be and just a big kid when he feels impelled and its appropriate. His character here, as in many of his roles is self-centered if not self-obsessed, and that can drive the adults around him bonkers when they need his attention, but he never lets the children down.

His house evolves into a kind of wayward home - a place to where his ex-wives's children return of their own will because it's the only place they feel wanted comfortable and respected. There they matter as human beings.

Pacino is a playwright and apparently a good one, but he seems less concerned with the art of his craft and more concerned with it being lucrative for the benefit of his now extended family. He's shown to be the only responsible adult in the movie and he's barely hanging on to the coat tails of sanity as it is. The children all seem to have more sense than the adults. With Pacino, they take an us against the world approach to their problems. We root for them, of course, because they're much too important to be ignored and they've got the spunk to insist that they be seen and heard.

The household has a summer camp bunk mate feel. The children have distinct and in some way opposing personalities. Each stands out as special and for the most part there is little conflict. That may be a contrivance or it could be a believable happy accident.

Tuesday Weld, Pacino's estranged wife and the mother (with different fathers) of four of the five children, is the embodiment of the enemy. A selfish, uncaring, unloving mother - oh, they're out there - but she probably also represents society on some level especially at the tail end of the me-decade 70's. Perhaps for the sake of ratings there is no direct reference to drugs or promiscuity, but it ain't a far leap to make to explain the history of the characters.

As at least one other reviewer has said, the film probably works a lot better for people who have lived the kind of life portrayed.

Taking a break from his serious roles, Al Pacino stars in this light comedy as playwright Ivan Travalian, trying to cope with putting on a play while raising his children and his son's friend. In a way, "Author! Author!" seems like the sort of movie that they just made for fun, but it's an interesting look at the vicissitudes of that particular lifestyle. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch (certainly not Pacino's best), but still worth seeing, if only to see the man known as Michael Corleone and Tony Montana doing comedy - although I doubt that you'll shout the title when the movie ends. Also starring Dyan Cannon, Tuesday Weld and Alan King.

Some comments would have you believe that this movie is annoying and stupid. Don't believe that for a minute. It is an unfair assessment of what movies were like in the 80's (not 70's as was indicated in a previous comment).

It seems pretty obvious that if you were old enough during the early 80's, goof-ball comedy and romantic comedy were at its peak (Check out some Neil Simon, Blake Edwards, Dudley Moore, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Goldie Hawn to name a few). The theme songs are soft and melodic. This movie is no exception. If you expect something much more, then you are in for a disappointment.

Synopsis: Ivan Trevellan (Al Pacino), a playwright, has a deadline to finish his play. Along the way, he struggles to keep his marriage, provide support to five children (in which four of the five are his wife's from previous marriages) and deal with his demanding producer and director.

I had seen this movie quite a few times, and thought that Al Pacino gave a great performance. Here we see a professional playwriter Ivan Travalian struggling with his career,and he gets hit with the news his wife wants to leave;She has some heavy load to carry,the children she cannot take a responsibility for. With juggling the duties of mother and father,Ivan has his anxiety about failure;He needs a great "rave" review to have a broadway hit.

There are sensitive lines in the film that touch on Ivan's personality; I am moved to the same anger, when He tells ex-wife Gloria "we are not fish,we are people".Gloria seems to be self-centered and uncaring.Travalian also says to his biological son,Igor, "nobody wants them,Gloria doesn't want them". How can we not feel the pain in these hurting kids?

The movie was great and touched on the aspect of family and Love;Ivan has these kids of the world, and tries to make a home for them.I love this film and enjoyed it heartily.

The only reason I saw this movie, was because Al Pacino was starring in it. I'm a huge fan of him and I don't want to miss any of his movies. "Author! Author!" is a highly enjoyable comedy-drama about a family guy and his many kids. Al Pacino plays a writer of stage plays who is dealing with some personal problems with his wife which also affects his writing.

Of course, "Author! Author!" isn't the best Al Pacino movie ever made, but it's certainly worth watching. This movie was a pleasant surprise. The director Arthur Hiller has also directed the timeless romantic classic "Love Story" with Ryan O'Neal. I think Al Pacino was worth his Golden Globe nomination.

Fine and well acted comedy-drama.

7,5/10

Not the best of Al Pacino's films but certainly worth watching as he gives a very convincing performance.(what else can you expect of one of the two greatest actors ever)Pacino has to do it on his own though. The story is not really catching and his fellow actors are rather boring. A must see though just because of Pacino's play.

This a great comedy Al Pacino is great as the man with the whole world on his sholders. The language and the personality of the "pack" of children almost steal the show. A must see.

...this is a wonderful family film! It brings back memories from seeing it when I was much younger. It really is a truly special film that demonstrates how important family, even a non-traditional family, is -- especially when we are young. It demonstrates that children are aware of what is happening arond them, despite the fact that adults don't give them much credit for being intelligent. It also shows that "family" comes in many different forms, and sometimes the best family does not include the traditional "mom" and "dad" that we expect.

Al Pacino is obviously a great actor, but when he goes soft for a role, he can be insufferably soft. Here, as a New York City playwright with a new show about to open on Broadway, he's mechanically turned on, yet there's no sparkle in his eyes. Pacino's wife walks out on him, leaving him to care for his gaggle of kids and step-kids, but the viewer is ready to feel more for the wife (Tuesday Weld) than we're expected to. This Neil Simon-wannabe tries putting a funny spin on the divorce-movie formula (with a little "Goodbye Girl" tossed in for good measure), but the scenario is unconvincing and the jokes are tepid. Dyan Cannon gives it a big boost as a movie actress trying her hand on the stage, but poor Al just looks beat. Who knows? Maybe he thought this would be his "Kramer vs. Kramer". ** from ****

I've just finished watching this delightful movie for - I don't know - the umpteenth time...... - probably somewhere in the 20's...

The kids are all adorable and just the best little actors....

Coupled with the opportunity to see Al Pacino smile.... who can resist that ???

Good clean fun.... well known actors....

This movie is bound to bring a smile to your face...

I highly recommend this fun, fun movie....

Great for all ages....

Could surely become one of your favorites also.

Apparently, many movie-goers were unhappy with this production featuring Al Pacino as a father, step-father, and foster-father to 5 children, only two of which he sired. Most actors stretch their wings and experiment with different roles throughout their career. Johnny Depp has been a religious experimental actor, seeking his niche, trying on new (and widely versatile) characters until he earned his stardom with the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Here, Pacino has spread his wings and, some have said, fell flat on his face. I must disagree. He plays comedy/drama quite well. This work features some dynamic elements, which helped support his role, namely the beautiful performances by the (then) child actors.

This is, by all accounts, a feel-good family movie, complete with fairy tale ending, but the path to that magical ending is strewn with pit-falls, stumbling blocks, and other problems. It is far from realistic, but does not break the contract wherein we, the audience, agree to suspend belief and attempt to subscribe to the premise.

Although I can't say this is one of my favorites, I do enjoy this work, and have found that Pacino is quite aptly cast herein. This work does, however, explain by what template Eddie Murphy seemingly molded his failing career. As one can tell by the reviews, action star/comedian cum family man doesn't play well with the fan boys.

It rates a 7.3/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Watching AUTHOR! AUTHOR!, I could tell right from the start I was screwed because of that god-awful late 70s theme song "Milk and Cookies and a Friend." Who is responsible for that soft-ass crap? And the movie just gets worse from there. Al Pacino is a playwright who has an ex-wife and a load of New Yorker kids who try to talk like tough adults. Pacino struggles to re-write his play while is irritating personal life encroaches. There is a deadline he must meet and his problems meeting it are supposed to be funny. It isn't. The script is dumb and very typical of the family-oriented fluff of the time. Arthur Hiller's direction (as usual) is pathetic. We can already clearly see the incompetence that eventually won him a much deserved Golden Razzie Award. AUTHOR! AUTHOR! is a waste of anybody's time and will certainly fail to charm you. The kids will grate on your nerves, the situations will seem stupid, and that DAMN SONG will hurt and haunt you! Avoid at all costs!

I've seen this movie before, quite a long time ago, and I liked it a lot. Having just seen it for the second time, I'm under the same impression. The movie is very funny and lighthearted, really kind. The script is smart, the performances by Pacino and kids are great. The film is a pleasure to watch, it puts you in a good mood. I think the film was underestimated by viewers, I put it 4 out of 4!

Stupid plot, featuring adults who are 90% unbelievable, especially the wife. The kids are engaging at times, however. There is much too much about this totally contrived situation, and far too little about the theatre. Disappointing.

There are many roles and different actors who play them. Some roles are suited for them others, not. In this Isreal Horovitz's story, Arthur Hiller directs Al Pacino as a Broadway playwright, a role he should have passed. Despite all his great talent, this superb thespian barely attained credibility as Ivan Travalian. Here is a man who by his own admission, was an orphan. There too but for his own efforts, go his many children. Ivan is trying desperately to finish his latest play, while struggling to hold on to his philandering wife Gloria (Tuesday Weld). Personal struggles find him doing his best to understand his troubles, while knowing that what he is doing is the right thing. If that were not enough, with his wife leaving him, Ivan finds Solis in his choice for a leading lady Alice Detroit (Dyan Cannon) a woman who wants him, but not his mix of a family. The story is comedic in rendering, but serious in its nature. With the likes of a true comedy team like Bob and Ray and the late great Alan King, it becomes fascinating to await its outcome. A good story with an over-weight talent like Pacino is like trying to shoot a squirrel with a cannon. ***

If you want to know why Pacino is my favorite one, just watch this little movie!

OK, this isn't a great drama, the action is scarce, the story seems a bit forgotten, the start is low, but Paccino shines all along.

As in the "Godfather" or "Carlito's Way", he is at his best when showing contradictions: he can be very confident and persuasive and in the same time, totally lost and unsure: an American "Romain Duris", my french favorite! With this split, comes his famous broken voice and his legendary angers: terrible and with a minimum of moves!

Here, he is a writer but in need of recognition, a good father but a bad husband! And it happens in his town, New-York (try to count his movies outside the big apple and you've got only a handful!).

And icing on the cake: First, the kids! they are funny and it would be interesting to see if they got a career! And a time-travel for 25 years! It is always a surprise to see how those 80's movies seems very old now!

this Al Pacino vehicle didn't do much for me.Pacino plays a playwright struggling with writing his latest play,while dealing with all kinds of personal issues.i found it boring,boring,and more boring.i just didn't see the point of it all.to say it's moves at a sedate pace is an understatement.it hardly moves at all.Pacino is good,but i felt his character is underwritten.the kids are cute,but not enough to carry the movie.in short,i couldn't wait for this thing to end.i really wanted to turn it off several times,but i stuck it through to the bitter end.it wasn't worth it.but that's just my opinion,maybe i'm wrong.for me,Author! Author rates a 4/10

This is a wonderful, heart-warming film! It is funny, sweet, honest, and touching. If as a child you experienced divorce or some other circumstance that placed you in a non- traditional family environment, you will appreciate this film. If you grew up without turmoil and without experiencing loss or the pain of divorce/death of a parent, you may not relate to the subject matter of this film (like some of the other IMDb users who deemed it unwatchable or boring). Oh yeah, and it doesn't contain any explosions. It's not that type of film.

Here we go back to perhaps the classic setup of the modern drama - the odd family.

Pacino plays playwright Travalian who made the unfortunate choice of marrying a woman who is addicted to new relationships. She leaves him and drops off four of her children with him while she goes off to search for new adventures.

The children do a good job of acting, but the directing and writing are pure cheese. They try their best to make them cute and they try too hard to make the dialogue sound as if the children are precocious and talk to their temporary father as peers. I can see why critics at the time butchered it for that. But again, the kids are solid actors who deliver their lines well and we get a few laughs out of them.

Pacino's performance is very generic, I would say uninspiring. Definitely none of the hysterial ranting, grandiloquent speeches, or subtle threatening stares he would ultimately be known for in this movie. That might have been on purpose, though. This is a writer who women keep leaving. That is to say, he's probably a more mild-mannered guy and not the swashbuckling action hero type. But still. I would have pegged Al Pacino as a competent, but not remarkable, actor had I only seen him in this work.

Travalian is also a playwright and he's trying to get a new play set up, but that takes a back seat to the family drama. It's almost only included as an afterthought, probably because this is a biographical film and they have to include a lot of such details about the writer's life. In this part expect to see a lot of walking cliches: the token gay, the overly constantly anxious manager, the pushy producers, etc. It's dumb.

But it very much (wisely) takes a back seat to the central drama. This is abouy a guy who keeps getting involved with free-spirited women who don't have any intention of being tied down to a man and certainly not to children. Seems like Travalian has a bad habit or bad luck, because he's the one who ends up having to take care of the kids.

That part is fresh.

The main song sounds good melodically, but the lyrics are strikingly funny. Razzie for worst song well-deserved.

Honourable Mentions: Down to You (2000). Thematically similar to this movie. It's about a girl who doesn't want to get locked into a serious relationship too early in life and even insults the male lead as an old man because he doesn't seem to mind that.

I will start off this review by saying I like Al Pacino. Any movie with him in it's cast, is given a chance by me. Before he started to just shout his dialogue he was one of my favourite actors.

Author! Author! Finds him doing a rare comedic turn

Pacino plays a Broadway playwright with a cheating wife, and five loving children (only one of whom is his own.) who are devoted to him. Ivan who loses, loves, struggles, suffers and still never loses his sense of humour.

Is this a role for Al Pacino, an actor not known for tickling audiences funny bones? It may have been better suited to a Robin Williams (who was doing Mork & Mindy on TV in those days) or a Burt Reynolds (who was at the top of his game in 1982) but he is by no means wrong for it. I appreciate it when actors try something new. Like when Reynolds made 'Starting Over' or Williams made 'Good Will Hunting'. And Pacino tries something new here, he is as watchable as always, but these are not two of his better hours.

Of the rest of the cast Dyan Cannion is gorgeous and still an attractive lady, if only the rest of the cast were as appealing as the two leads. The kids were on the awful end of child actors scale, and everyone else just blends in to the background.

As far as I know, this was the first and last time Pacino tried a full out comedy. Scarface was his next role.

I love this movie because it's a true "feel-good" movie. The kids in the movie certainly steal the show, making us laugh over and over again. We can all relate to some or all of the kids as we're taken back in time to the early 80's. Their innocent insights to grown up situations, as well as their comedic delivery make for a very funny movie. Al Pacino (the author!) leads us through this movie as the caring father of this group of kids, sometimes funny, sometimes serious, but always loving, and you simply can't go wrong with Al Pacino! Alan King's dry humor adds a really nice touch to the movie. Take the time to watch this movie with your family, it'll warm all your hearts! My husband and I need to replace our worn out copy, which we never tire of watching over and over.

Broadway playwright Ivan Travalian (Al Pacino) has a large family of kids from various relationships whether they are his kids or not. His wife Gloria (Tuesday Weld) is stepping out on him with the accountant. His producer Arnold Kreplich had been lying about having signed movie star Alice Detroit (Dyan Cannon). She turns out to be a fan and he convinces her to play the lead. When Gloria leaves, most of the kids have to leave Ivan. Only Igor and Geraldo remains. Ivan starts dating Alice who moves in with them.

With Kramer vs. Kramer, the modern family becomes an important subject matter. I love the kids and their situations. I love this movie from back then. Al Pacino has a bit of humor but he's a simple father figure at heart. It's like he takes his acting rage inwards and makes it humorous. I really like these characters. I watched this again recently after almost four decades. Some of it doesn't hold up. The movie misses the energy of the kids in the middle. Gloria is crazy and it's almost just as crazy that he choose her over Alice. It may be better to take Alice out of the house and keep Ivan obsessed with Gloria. The kids could return a little sooner to keep the energy up and inject more comedy.