The Four Seasons

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The Four Seasons

PG

1981

1h 47m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Jack (Alan Alda) and Kate (Carol Burnett) traditionally go on vacation with their friends every new season. Old friend Nick (Len Cariou) surprises everyone when he arrives not with his wife, Anne (Sandy Dennis), but with his new girlfriend, the much younger Ginny (Bess Armstrong). The group -- all of which had grown to be good friends with Anne -- must come to terms with this unexpected development. Ultimately, they learn to accept Nick's decision, and work to welcome Ginny as a friend.

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Variety Staff

Variety

04/02/2009

If The Four Seasons was never a play, it should have been, since it's based on the most stagey, dialog-bound original screenplay in memory.

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Time Out

01/26/2006

Amusing and worth a look.

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

08/30/2004

The Four Seasons is a fond, generous movie about characters who might have easily lent themselves to satire.

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Sep 14

2/5

Like Jack, played by writer-director Alan Alda, The Four Seasons often uses ten words where one will do.

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Jesse Hassenger

Decider

May 15

It’s more of a promising outline than a satisfying movie unto itself.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

01/28/2023

3/4

...slightly erratic yet predominantly rewarding...

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Mike P

@RT09890132 1d

Special, chosen members of the Silent Generation, Hawkeye, Eunice, Anita and Sweeney Todd, (and others), come together in a series of Friends like reunions, in and around New York, and various vacationing hotspots, during the course of a chaotic year, 1981, to represent YUPPIES to the world!...And Early 80s Reagan-America...And some of this hasn't aged well; what was once a glamorous Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous type episode; now comes across as a lame Thirtysomething rerun, or LA Law. (Yuppies aren't the exotic birds they once were!) Also, Alda could have gone alot darker here...Still, what an amazing cast! They somewhat redeem it. Somewhat...

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Kalvin C.

@KalyCorby Jan 27

It gets an extra star from me for Carol freakjng Burnett! A bit slow for me but some parts were SO funny it made up for it.

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Buzz K

@RT37269166 Aug 10

I saw it when it was originally released and thought it was OK. But I watched it again in 2025 and was embarrassed at just how awful and abjectly cringy the acting and dialogue was. The over-acting, the uproarious laughter at the most mundane "jokes", the predictable attempts as witty retorts, Alda's terrible overacting especially, had me wondering if it was the same movie I saw in 81. Its just terrible.

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Mrgrpgrp T

@RT62850680 May 25

Beautiful, funny, engaging , funny and realistic film. Loved it from the first time i watch it and it's a beautiful film that somehow - at least even in my circle has been like a veiled gem - Relatable, real, funny, emotional, and true. 5/5

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Victoria B

@ToryB May 20

It feels like Chekhov

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P M

@RT79355241 May 9

The dialogue and acting were not great, but everything else was perfect. A very human story with a lot of funny moments.

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Alan Alda

Director

Alan Alda

Jack Burroughs

Carol Burnett

Kate Burroughs

Rita Moreno

Claudia Zimmer

Len Cariou

Nick Callan

Sandy Dennis

Anne Callan

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Synopsis

Jack (Alan Alda) and Kate (Carol Burnett) traditionally go on vacation with their friends every new season. Old friend Nick (Len Cariou) surprises everyone when he arrives not with his wife, Anne (Sandy Dennis), but with his new girlfriend, the much younger Ginny (Bess Armstrong). The group -- all of which had grown to be good friends with Anne -- must come to terms with this unexpected development. Ultimately, they learn to accept Nick's decision, and work to welcome Ginny as a friend.

Director: Alan Alda
Producer: Martin Bregman
Screenwriter: Alan Alda
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 22, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 47m

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