Thursday's Game (1974)

Once a week for 4 years, a group of people got together to play poker. One of them decides the stakes aren't high enough, so they play for more money. After all but two lose a considerable amount of money, a fight breaks out and they decide they aren't playing anymore, but Harry (Gene Wilder) and Marvin (Bob Newhart) decide they enjoy their one night a week away from home too much to give it up, so they agree to keep meeting on Thursdays to do whatever they want without telling their wives otherwise. Harry and Marvin weren't friends before this, but over the next three months they form a solid friendship. While Marvin has recently found success in the garment industry, Harry is fired from his job as a television producer after his ratings have been steadily slipping. Both of their marriages, however, are falling apart. While Marvin is shallow and spends all of his energy finding a way to leave his older wife, Harry's unemployment causes him to slip into a depression that pushes his wife away from him to the point of separation.

This was a made for TV movie filmed in 1971 that finally aired on ABC in 1974. Written by James L. Brooks, this film is at once funny and depressing. The budding friendship between Harry and Marvin is interesting to watch unfold. Together they talk about their marriages, employment problems, etc, but neither of them spend any time with their spouses discussing their problems at home. It's all very relatable, and the set-up is as good as any to deal with this mid-life crisis business. The best scenes are with Harry and his wife, Lynne (played by Ellen Burstyn). All of her attempts at consolation are batted away and she reacts as one would expect under those circumstances. As this was made for TV, it's loaded with television stars (Bob Newhart, Cloris Leachman, Valarie Harper, Rob Reiner, Norman Fell), all delivering solid performances. Thankfully, Gene Wilder has a few scenes where he loses it and goes manic, as he does so well, but his brooding, darker scenes are just as great. James L. Brooks is a great writer, and this cast does a decent job with his work.

You wont find this on DVD, but I found a copy on VHS here at a secondhand shop. Someone's uploaded the entire thing on YouTube, so it's there if you want it. Nothing life changing, mind you, but you'll likely find something of yourself in this movie somewhere. Recommended. 

3/5