FILM · 1972 · USA
The Heartbreak Kid
- Directed by
- Elaine May
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Studio
- 20th Century Fox, Palomar Pictures International
24 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Three days into his Miami honeymoon with needy and unsophisticated Lila, Lenny meets tall, blonde Kelly. This confirms his fear that he has made a serious mistake and he decides he wants to be with Kelly instead.
Summary: TMDB
All facts (24)
- #001
The Heartbreak Kid is a rare entry in Neil Simon's canon because it is not based on one of his plays or on an original screenplay of his; it is an adaptation of another writer's work.
- #002
The reason the film is so hard to find online and has not had a home video release since the early 2000s is that it ended up with the pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb, which dissolved its entertainment division shortly after the film was made and left the distribution rights in limbo. Although a 35 mm print has had limited screenings at Anthology Film Archives and the Museum of the Moving Image, the film has never been reacquired or restored since, as of June 2024.
- #003
Neil Simon's contract stipulated that none of his dialogue could be changed without his permission. The improvising Elaine May reached an agreement to shoot two versions, his original screenplay and then her own version, and they would decide which was better. About a week later, Charles Grodin recalled that Neil Simon stopped coming to the set and control was in Elaine May's hands.
- #004
Actress Cybill Shepherd reportedly turned down a number of other roles to play the character Kelly Corcoran in this film alongside Peter Fonda.
- #005
Eddie Albert's Oscar-nominated performance for Best Supporting Actor was the only performance nominated in that category that year for a film not also nominated for Best Picture.
- #006
Jerry Seinfeld considers this film the best comedy of all time.
- #007
The highest price Mr. Corcoran (Eddie Albert) offers Lenny (Charles Grodin) to stay away from his daughter is 25,000 US dollars. Adjusted for inflation, that would be equivalent to 178,000 dollars in 2023.
- #008
The film contains Jeannie Berlin's only Oscar-nominated performance.
- #009
This picture is one of four feature films directed by actor-writer-director Elaine May. It was May's second directorial effort.
- #010
Doris Roberts plays Charles Grodin's mother in the film even though in real life she is only nine years older than him.
- #011
It is the first of three films written by Neil Simon and starring actor Charles Grodin. The others were The Lonely Guy (1984) and Seems Like Old Times (1980). None of them were based on a Simon play.
- #012
This film was the first filmed adaptation of a written work by author Bruce Jay Friedman.
- #013
The luxury house used in the Minnesota section of the film belonged to Beverly Borine, a well-known and respected real estate agent in Minnesota. Her husband Cliff and daughter Jan are not named, but they were used as extras in the wedding scene near the end. Cliff is the tall, friendly, white-haired man in glasses who wishes Charles Grodin good luck at the reception; Jan is the brunette girl talking with guests in the background.
- #014
The film ranks at number 91 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years… 100 Laughs" list of the funniest American films ever made.
- #015
The hotel where Lenny and Lila spend their honeymoon was called the Doral Hotel On-The-Ocean. It is now named the Miami Beach Resort and Spa.
- #016
The film's director, actor-writer-director Elaine May, later co-starred in another Neil Simon-written film, California Suite (1978). May does not appear in The Heartbreak Kid (1972). Elaine, also a writer, never worked as a screenwriter on any of Simon's works.
- #017
The car Lenny (Charles Grodin) drives at the beginning of the film is a Triumph TR4, a white sports car designed by Giovanni Michelotti and produced from 1961 to 1965.
- #018
It was the only film that year nominated for both the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress Oscars.
- #019
It is one of two screenplays screenwriter Neil Simon adapted from a Bruce Jay Friedman story. The other was The Lonely Guy (1984). Actor Charles Grodin appeared in both.
- #020
The Heartbreak Kid was included on the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the 100 Funniest American Films.
- #021
Dustin Hoffman was ultimately considered for the role of Lenny Cantrow, which was played by Charles Grodin.
- #022
A remake of The Heartbreak Kid starring Ben Stiller was made and released about 35 years after this film.
- #023
Director Elaine May and star Charles Grodin share the birthday of April 21.
- #024
Lenny and Lila's hotel room number was 1704.
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