Starting Over

Starting Over (1979) is a romantic comedy directed by Alan Pakula that you can watch online on iFILM. Burt Reynolds plays Phil Potter, a mild-mannered journalist whose wife — an aspiring singer — has left him for her career. Phil is now adrift in middle age, completely unprepared for the business of being single again. Candice Bergen plays the ex-wife, charming and self-absorbed in equal measure.

Then Phil meets Marilyn, a kindergarten teacher played by Jill Clayburgh — warm, slightly chaotic, nothing like anyone he has known before. A relationship begins to form. The catch: he is still tangled up in feelings for a woman who barely notices him anymore, and the ex has a habit of showing up at exactly the wrong moment.

Pakula, best known for his thrillers, handles the comedy with a light hand and genuine interest in who Phil actually is. Reynolds plays against his usual swagger, delivering a surprisingly quiet, off-balance performance. Stream Starting Over online on iFILM.