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Just Between Friends

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This article is about the film. For the album by Houston Person and Ron Carter, see Just Between Friends (album).
Just Between Friends
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAllan Burns
Written byAllan Burns
Produced byAllan Burns
Starring
CinematographyJordan Cronenweth
Edited byAnne Goursaud
Music byPatrick Williams
Production
company
Distributed byOrion Pictures
Release date
  • March 21, 1986 (1986-03-21)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$6.4 million[1]

Just Between Friends is a 1986 American drama film about two women whose friendship is tested by tragedy. The film was written, produced and directed by Allan Burns, and it stars Mary Tyler Moore, Christine Lahti, Ted Danson and Sam Waterston.

Plot

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Holly Davis is a wife and mother, happily married to seismologist Chip Davis. She is not aware that he is having an affair with Sandy Dunlap, a television news reporter who interviewed him after an earthquake.

Holly begins teaching aerobics part-time at the gym, where she and Sandy meet by coincidence. Sandy and Holly become fast friends and Holly's children like Sandy as well. Sandy is a career-minded reporter trying to become an anchorwoman. Holly invites Sandy to a dinner at her home. It's then that Sandy realizes her married boyfriend is Holly's husband. Sandy tells Chip it's over, but he begs her to wait until they can talk after his upcoming trip. One day at work, a news bulletin reveals the death of Chip in a car crash.

Holly is devastated by the news and so is Sandy. Helga, the gym's owner, is ready to sell, so Sandy and Holly invest together. Holly learns the truth while clearing out her husband's office where she finds a photo of Sandy and Chip together. She angrily confronts Sandy who tells her that she was unaware that her new friend was the wife of the man she loved until the dinner party, then she ended it. Holly angrily ends their friendship.

Sandy begs for forgiveness, but Holly is devastated, hurt and angry, and refuses to forgive Sandy. Holly swears she will buy Sandy out of her share of the gym as soon as she is able and refuses to resume the close friendship they once shared.

Sandy discovers that she is pregnant, and she tells Holly, who is horrified by the news. Over time, Holly realizes that Sandy's child will also be her husband's child so she decides that she should try to forgive Sandy so that she can be a part of the child's life. Harry, Chip's co-worker, helps Sandy with her pregnancy. He also sees Holly, always having had a crush on her. Sandy rejects Holly's attempt at renewing their friendship at first but once the child is born, the film ends as they begin to repair their friendship and Harry kisses Holly.

Cast

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Reception

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Just Between Friends received generally negative reviews from critics. The film holds a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 6 reviews.[2] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times was critical of the film saying it "labors over the smallest points of the most inconsequential scenes and then hurries past the big emotional climaxes".[3]

Home media

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Just Between Friends was released on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment on January 13, 2004 as a Region 1 DVD.

References

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  1. ^ Just Between Friends at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ "Just Between Friends (1986)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  3. ^ Ebert, Roger (March 21, 1986). "Just Between Friends". Chicago Sun-Times – via RogerEbert.com.
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