My Favorite Year
Seen it?1982 | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (97% on Rotten Tomatoes). A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Florence Foster Jenkins or The Apartment, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Funny with heart.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 32 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Fledgling comic Benjy Stone can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann, gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
97% on Rotten Tomatoes, 62 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.6 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Nominated for 1 Oscar, 3 Golden Globes and 1 WGA Award.
- Box office & staying powerSolid
$20 million worldwide on a $8 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 66K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Richard Benjamin
- Peter O'TooleAlan Swann
- Mark Linn-BakerBenjy Stone
- Jessica HarperK.C. Downing
- Joseph BolognaKing Kaiser
- Bill MacySy Benson
- Lainie KazanBelle Carroca
- Anne DeSalvoAlice Miller
- Basil HoffmanHerb Lee
- Lou JacobiUncle Morty
- Adolph GreenLeo Silver