They All Laughed

Shot by a skeleton crew on
the streets of New York, They All Laughed follows the lighter-than-air misadventures
of a trio of love-struck detectives. 
Ladies' man Ben Gazzara pursues unhappily married Audrey Hepburn,
pratfall-happy John Ritter falls (literally and figuratively) for Stratten, and
curly-haired stoner Blaine Novak throws himself at anything that moves.
Meanwhile, Colleen Camp steals scenes as a countrypolitan songbird who's a
dynamite broad in the best sense of the term, a tough-talking chatterbox with
more balls than any of her male co-stars.

Inspired by the opening of Rio Bravo, Bogdanovich
tells the story in largely visual terms, particularly in a first half extremely
light on dialogue. His swooning romantic comedy relies less on plot and
characterization than on the bittersweet tone and unexpected moments of grace. Laughed is
infatuated with infatuation. It's enamored of a particularly cinematic kind of
love, an attraction predicated on stolen glances and fleeting moments of
connection rather than earthier concerns like compatibility or mutual
interests. It's tempting to overrate the film, especially in light of its
director's heartbreakingly intimate connection to his material, but Bogdanovich
only intermittently achieves the heady mood of screwball melancholy to which he
aspires. For all its delightful performances, savvy location shooting, and
breezy charm, They All Laughed is ultimately something of a tantalizing tease,
all flirtation and no consummation.

Key features: A conversation between Bogdanovich and
director/admirer Wes Anderson supplements the expected commentary track.