#305: The Woman in Red

Release Date: August 17th, 1984

Format: Streaming (Tubi)

Written by: Gene Wilder

Directed by: Gene Wilder

2 Stars

Sporadically funny, but overwhelmingly odd, uneven, and misguided, Gene Wilder’s The Woman in Red is scattershot nonsense.

Teddy Pierce (Wilder) is a middle-aged, Jewish ad man with a wife and kids. He’s been happily married for years, until, that is, he becomes infatuated with a super model in a red dress (Kelly LeBrock, in her screen debut). 

Meant as a comedic parable about the pitfalls of adultery, Wilder’s script can’t overcome just how displeasurable it is watching Teddy ruin his own life chasing an affair. No matter how many silly gags Wilder packs into his script - and oh boy, there are a lot of them - I mostly just felt bad for his loving wife and sweet kids.

Wilder also miscasts himself as the lead. Maybe we understand why Teddy wants to sleep with a supermodel (even if we don’t like it), but what on Earth does this supermodel see in this strange, leering man more than twice her age? Wilder would have been better served playing the comedic sidekick to a classically handsome lead with a bit of a mean streak, like Chevy or Steve Martin.          

It’s not all bad though. There are some bizarre beats and tonal shifts that are interesting, if nothing else. 

And I’ll admit, I laughed quite a few times at The Woman in Red, especially Wilder’s ending and the film’s final shot. I just can’t promise you’ll be able to hang in there long enough to want to see it.