When Your Lover Leaves

Not-bad comedy-drama from a book by Susan Trott (and co-produced for television by Ron Howard and Henry Winkler) has recently-dumped Valerie Perrine trying to get on with her life, becoming involved with both a policeman (Ed O'Neill) and a kinky young lothario (Merritt Butrick, who gets himself warmed up by sneaking into Perrine's window at night). Valerie's consistent exasperation over her situation is good for a few laughs, and her cynicism and sass are appealing qualities. The movie doesn't particularly look good, with muddy photography and cramped settings, but the central idea--a modern woman facing unwanted independence--should be relatable subject matter for many viewers, and that's pulled off quite nicely here. Perrine is very attractive (as always) and O'Neill, years before his hit TV show "Married With Children", is handsome and charming as well.