FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Peter Yates - John And Mary 

John And Mary is supposed to be something of a "contemporary" film. A film about a certain generation, a kind of "Generation X" of the 60s. That's why both John and Mary talk the way you might have talked back then. Really? Do "real" people really speak like John and Mary? I didn't feel like I saw two individuals. Neither John and Mary ever speak of anything characteristic. An example: The movie starts in a singles bar. Evil tongues would now claim to be a place like the film art bar Fitzcarraldo, where you drink beer and try to tow someone away. Mia Farrow's Mary is having something like an interesting conversation, interrupted by Dustin Hofmans John. That's how they get to know each other! This is a film talk and John can seriously claim: "I saw that movie at the film festival. I think it's about the materialistic basis of our society..." Uuuh! Obviously they discuss "Godards Weekend", although this is never explicit. But why don't these hip guys even mention the name of the movie? From my observations at the Filmkunstbar Fitzcarraldo this would be the first thing to happen! So it's not a special movie, just one with a long traffic jam. That's the way it goes all over the movie. Of course John and Mary talk a lot, but never mention anything concrete. A comedy about "real" people, but John and Mary embody NOBODY. That's why John's taking Mary to the bar after her discussion. He sleeps with her and neither of them even know the name of the other. The next morning we think about how living together could work... Mary seems to be quite normal, while John is one of those guys who only take girls they don't find "too great". Mary finds out, fakes something and then again John tries to fake something. All right? He follows them, doesn't know their name, but knows their neighborhood. Finally he finds her apartment and confesses: "I was looking for you". What about her? "I know." I don't understand this! Couldn't Mary have saved him the long search? John And Mary was Peter Yate's third movie (after two great action movies!). This single comedy is about "subjects". But my impression is that these "subjects" are playing us something all the time.