Synopsis
A neurotic, young psychology student, with low self-esteem, has a chance encounter with a free-spirited, extremely gregarious woman who works at the Paris Health Club in New York City, and who suggests that they immediately get married to see how it will work out. Both of the student's parents are analysts, and they provide the happy couple with a gift certificate for a year of marriage counseling as a wedding present.
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Cast
- Chris MessinaIra Black
- Jennifer WestfeldtAbby Willoughby
- David MarguliesDr. Arnold Friedman
- Kali RochaTracy
- Kevin SussmanLenny
- Marylouise BurkeJanice
- Judith LightArlene Black
- Robert KleinSeymour Black
- Fred WillardMichael Willoughby
- Frances ConroyLynne Willoughby
Recommendations
- 75
New York Post
Isn't as sharply directed as "Jessica Stein," but it's still a formidable crowd-pleaser. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
A similar blend of comedy and a grumbling skepticism about the essential goodness of human beings makes Ira & Abby feel, at times, like one of those great stage comedies of yesteryear transferred to the screen. - 75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Westfeldt's screenplay and Cary's direction combine to make it the best Manhattan love story since "When Harry Met Sally." - 70
Wall Street Journal
To do rough justice to this special treat in not much space, let me first stipulate that it evokes any number of Woody Allen films, thanks to its therapy-centric characters and its Upper West Side milieu. - 70
Los Angeles Times
This round-robin of marital malaise has a lot more integrity than one might anticipate from its meet-cute beginnings. - 70
The New York Times
Though playing at times like an extended sitcom, Ira & Abby radiates a breathless charm, due in no small part to Ms. Westfeldt’s sharp dialogue and engagingly unmannered performance. - 67
The A.V. Club
It's still a mixed bag with a lot of cutesy awfulness to wade through, but the acerbic ending is enough of a punchline to suggest that Westfeldt understands what a joke this kind of film can be. - 50
Variety
Starts off deliriously, is derailed into reality, and finally settles into something in between.
