Only When I Laugh (1981)

Only When I Laugh is a 1981 film based on Neil Simon's play The Gingerbread Lady.

The story is about an alcoholic Broadway actress who tries to stay sober while dealing with the problems of her teenaged daughter and her friends: an overly vain woman who fears the loss of her looks and a gay actor relegated to small roles in third-rate shows. Simon changed the main character's name to Georgia Hines for the film adaptation; the character was named Evy Meara in the stage version. The main character went from being a cabaret singer to a Broadway stage actress.

The film, written by Simon and directed by Glenn Jordan, stars Marsha Mason, Joan Hackett, James Coco and Kristy McNichol. It also features two short scenes with then unknowns Kevin Bacon and John Vargas. Simon's next release, I Ought to Be in Pictures, was released just six months later, and its plot was similar.

It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Marsha Mason), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (James Coco), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Joan Hackett). It was the last film Hackett completed before her death. Only When I Laugh proved to be very successful at the box office.

Coco was also nominated for Worst Supporting Actor in Golden Raspberry Awards for the same role.

Synopsis

Actress Georgia Hines is being released from a rehab center where she has been undergoing treatment for alcoholism and weight gain. She returns to her Manhattan apartment to begin a new sober life with her supportive friends: Jimmy, an unemployed actor, and Toby, a sophisticated, vain socialite. She pledges to both that she will maintain her sobriety and slowly ease back into theatre work.

Actors