Micki and Maude (1981) – Rewatch

I don’t know why I enjoyed this movie so much when I was young, but even during further rewatches, I find it nostalgically charming despite its questionable treatment of the women involved. Dudley Moore is a married television reporter who meets cellist Amy Irving during one of his stories. They begin an affair and when she tells him she’s pregnant, he’s prepared to divorce his current wife Ann Reinking who chooses that moment to announce that after years of trying she’s also pregnant, expecting twins in what is certain to be a difficult pregnancy. He’s stuck between a rock and a hard place and chooses perhaps the worst path, to stay married to both women. With another actor this might not have worked, but the hijinks surrounding Moore grow as he tries to balance both relationships and it is often hilarious. Both women are extremely successful and despite societal entrainment could find much benefit in the arrangement if they let themselves. I like how the ending feels open to interpretation though I’m unsure how one of those interpretations is likely to work.