film

Modern Romance, released in 1981, is a sharply observed comedy co-written, directed by and starring Albert Brooks. The film follows Robert Cole, a successful film editor in Los Angeles who ends his relationship with his girlfriend Mary but is consumed by regret, jealousy and uncertainty almost immediately afterwards. As Robert repeatedly breaks up and reconciles with Mary, Brooks explores the irrational behaviour and obsessive thoughts that often accompany romance and relationships.

Unlike many romantic comedies of its era, Modern Romance swerves sentimentality in favour of awkward realism and psychological insight. Brooks’s deadpan performance captures the anxieties and self-sabotaging tendencies of a man unable to understand his own emotions, while Kathryn Harrold is a brilliant counterbalance as the patient yet increasingly frustrated Mary. Mixing cringe comedy with genuine pathos, Modern Romance is a perceptive and enduring portrait of love, neurosis and emotional immaturity.