Looking for Mr. Goodbar (E)

Based on the novel by Judith Rossner, Theresa Dunn (Dianne Keaton) is a “nice Catholic girl”. By day she is a compassionate teacher of deaf children, but by night, she seeks the uninvolved sexual experiences to be found by cruising the Singles Bar scene. Keaton’s portrayal of Theresa is powerful; vacillating between fragility, insecurity, and obsession on the one hand, and confidence, manipulation and hedonism on the other. Theresa is on a journey to escape her family and her upbringing in order to find herself and her “Mr Goodbar”. Ultimately, the journey is both unfulfilling and unenlightened as Theresa makes the wrong choice one night and pays for it with her life. “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” redefined female roles, as it dealt with a central character who was neither the stereotypical “tramp” or “lady” of traditional female roles.