sol1218 **SPOILERS** Bittersweet romantic comedy that takes place in Utah with love-struck civil servant Charles, John Heard, who gets stung by the love bug and almost ends up going out of his head because of it. Charles falls literally heads over heels in love with his fellow worker the just separated from her husband Ox (Mark Metcalf) Laura,Mary Beth Hunt.Catching Laura on the rebound from her breakup with her estranged husband Ox, who at 6 foot three and all muscles is an ox of a man, has Charles go completely bananas over her to the point where Laura agrees to share an apartment, as well as sleep, with him. As times goes by with Laura starting to get a bit tired of Charles' possessiveness and pandering to her she decides to leave him and go back to Ox and her stepdaughter, from Ox's previous marriage, nine year-old Rebecca, Algela Philips.It's then that Charles start to lose it with Laura out of his life and him now being pressured by his constantly threatening to kill herself mother Clara, Gloria Grahame, and unemployed live-in best friend Sam, Peter Reigert.It's Charles attempt to win Laura back that really drives him off the edge but in a harmless sort of way. Charles, together with Sam, goes so far as to used the excuse to see Laura that he goes to her home where she's living with Ox and Rebecca to have him, a carpenter, build Charles some wall panelings. It's then, to Ox's both shock and anger, that Charles risking getting his arms twisted out of place pledges his love for Laura who's, embarrassingly, there with him!As Charles' efforts to win over a very reluctant Laura goes nowhere he starts to turn nasty towards those at his job who try to be friendly towards him. Charles really turns off Betty, Nora Haflin, who he's been, without her knowledge, using as a go between himself and her best friend at the job who just happens to be Laura. It's out of hurt and frustration that Charles becomes down right nasty to Betty, who seemed to have fallen in love with him, in that she can't bring him and Laura back together. Charles also takes his frustration out at his very kind and accommodating boss Mr. Patterson, Jerry Hardin, who wants him to help his immature son get his head, and love life, on straight.As it turned out the person who could, and in the end did, help Charles out of his pressing problems with Laura is the blind man, Allen Joseph, who has a newspaper & candy stand in the lobby of the building that Charles works in. Always taking Allen for granted and at the same time spilling his heart out to him, about his love Laura, Charles gets the best advice about straightening out the mess that he's got himself into. And sure enough by the time the movie ends Charles finally acts on it. Charles finally gets over his obsession with Laura and at same time gets himself back to sanity.Lovely story about love and how it can drive one crazy if he, or she, can't-when it turns sour-let go of it. A very important lesson in life which took Charles almost the entire movie to figure out. ***SPOILERS*** Allen's advice did help but in the end it was Charles who had to take the first step, running what looked the hundred yard dash in less then 10 seconds, to finally have him get over his illogical and almost destructive, to himself and those close to him,love for Laura.P.S The novel "Chilly Scenes of Winter" whom the film "Heads Over Heels" is based on was written by Ann Beattie who has a cameo role in the movie as a waitress.

tone143 I never knew this was retitled(I'm sure it really cleaned up as a result!).I normally don't like romantic comedies,but this one stands out as a realistic and melancholy rendering of a love affair,with subtle laughs all throughout.It ain't Annie Hall,but it ain't bad either.I gave it a 7 only because most romantic comedies suck. You HAVE to write 10 lines.You'd think they'd want to curb long-winded diatribes(like some of the ones I write).Well,don't you find it oddly coincidental that John Heard(who is confused by name with John Hurt)stars with Mary Beth Hurt in this movie,and that for fleeting moments,John Heard (somewhat) resembles William Hurt in this film?And that none of these people are any more closely related to each other than we are?(excepting that you're my cousin Gino reading this,which is unlikely,since Gino is mentally-challenged)

Fire-WalkWithMe I couldn't find this anywhere to rent, so I bought it. I wasn't going to MAKE myself like it, just because of John Heard, but I actually turned out to love it. It took another watching to really like it though. It's not that exciting, it's laid back. The plot isn't really unique, but Heard does GREAT with the role. I think it's his best to date. The movie is cute, but serious at the same time. I'm now convinced, that if he was young today, he'd be as popular (should be more) than people like Tom Cruise. He had it all! Mary Beth Hurt was good in the other role, too. Well, good movie, it's not for everyone though. 8/10.

raymond_chandler I have always loved this film, ever since I first saw it in its re-release as "CSOW" in 1982. I have never seen the "Head Over Heels" version, thankfully. What really hit me then was the parallel to an obsessive love affair I had just experienced. I was dumped by a woman I met at work, and it was several months before I got over it. I had an unfulfilling, drab office job, and an unemployed roommate sharing a house with me.As a film, what makes this so special is its lack of pretense. The characters are as flawed as they are lovable. The relationship between Charles and his mother is as unsettling as it is comical. Even though Charles is a self-obsessed jerk, his simple devotion to the one wonderful, transcendent thing in his life - the love he and Laura shared - is endearing. He is not so much a stalker as someone who simply cannot bear the thought of returning to the uneventful, empty life he knew before Laura.