Old Boyfriends (1979)

Old Boyfriends is a rare, adult drama that treats a woman’s inner life as the main event, not a subplot, and it does so with a candor that still feels bracing. Joan Tewkesbury directs with a clear-eyed compassion, letting each reunion land like a small emotional weather system—sometimes funny, sometimes bruising—while Talia Shire gives a beautifully lived-in performance that makes self-doubt, desire, and hard-won clarity feel inseparable. The film’s pleasure is in its intelligence: the writing listens as closely as it speaks, and the character work keeps turning over new truths without ever needing melodramatic tricks. It’s not for viewers hunting big plot fireworks, but if you like character-driven stories that respect complexity and leave you feeling like you’ve actually met someone, this one is quietly irresistible.

Old Boyfriends is clearly aiming for a thoughtful, adult character study about a woman revisiting old relationships to figure out who she is without them, and that’s a solid premise with Talia Shire doing quietly credible work. The problem is it often drifts rather than builds, with a meandering, episodic structure that can feel more like a string of mood pieces than a story with momentum. Some scenes lean into melodrama while others play understated, so the tone can wobble and the emotional payoffs don’t always land as sharply as the setup promises. If you want a driven, plot-forward drama or catharsis with real bite, this may test your patience—but if you’re up for a slow, reflective 1970s-style film about regret and self-reinvention, there’s something to appreciate here.