The Woman in Red (1984 film)

The Woman in Red is a 1984 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Gene Wilder. Adapted from the 1976 French film Pardon Mon Affaire (Un éléphant ça trompe énormément) by Yves Robert, the film stars Wilder as a married advertising executive who becomes infatuated with a mysterious model, played by Kelly LeBrock in her film debut. His attempts to pursue an extramarital affair lead to a series of comedic misunderstandings and complications. The ensemble cast includes Charles Grodin, Gilda Radner, Joseph Bologna, and Judith Ivey.

Produced by Orion Pictures, the film was released theatrically on August 15, 1984. It was made on a budget of $9 million and grossed $25.3 million at the domestic box office. The soundtrack, composed by Stevie Wonder, features the original song "I Just Called to Say I Love You", which emerged as a commercial success worldwide and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as a Golden Globe Award in the same category.

The Woman in Red received mixed reviews upon release, with particular attention to LeBrock's screen presence and Wonder's music. While some critics praised the film’s comedic timing and performances, others noted its conventional approach to romantic farce. Over time, the film has remained noted for its iconic imagery, particularly the scene featuring LeBrock in a red dress, which became emblematic of the film's promotional campaign and cultural legacy.

Teddy Pierce, a San Francisco advertising executive, leads a comfortable life with his wife, Didi, and their children. One day, he becomes captivated by a striking woman in a red dress—Charlotte—whose skirt is blown upward by a ventilation grate. Intrigued and infatuated, Teddy attempts to pursue her despite being married. Encouraged by his friends Joe, Buddy, and Michael—each with their own complicated romantic entanglements—he initiates a series of covert efforts to arrange a meeting.

Teddy inadvertently calls a co-worker, Ms. Milner, instead of Charlotte, leading to a misunderstanding. Flattered by the perceived romantic interest, Ms. Milner believes she has a date with Teddy, only to be stood up. She later seeks revenge by damaging his car and creating workplace tension. After another failed encounter, she moves on with a colleague, leaving Teddy further disoriented.

Eventually, Charlotte agrees to meet Teddy, but logistical issues—including a canceled flight and a family commitment—continue to derail his plans. Despite this, he finally spends time with her, culminating in a visit to her high-rise apartment. As they are about to begin an affair, her husband, an airline pilot, unexpectedly returns. Teddy narrowly escapes detection by climbing out onto the apartment’s ledge, attracting a crowd and news coverage below.

Didi, watching the scene unfold on live television, is moved to tears, believing her husband’s actions are linked to her own infidelities. Ultimately, Teddy realizes the fantasy is not worth the chaos and allows himself to be rescued. As he falls into the firemen’s safety net, he notices a smiling reporter in the crowd, hinting at the possibility of yet another romantic pursuit.

Following the commercial success of his directorial debut, The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975), Gene Wilder directed The World's Greatest Lover in 1977, which was also financially successful.^[3][4] During the same period, the French comedy Pardon Mon Affaire (Un éléphant ça trompe énormément) (1976) and its sequel were released in France. Wilder later adapted the original film into an American context, resulting in The Woman in Red.

The Woman in Red marked Wilder's return to directing after a seven-year hiatus from solo directing. In the intervening years, he starred in several films, including The Frisco Kid (1979), Sunday Lovers (1980), Stir Crazy (1980), and Hanky Panky (1982).

Although not the first film to receive a PG-13 rating, The Woman in Red was among the earliest to include brief frontal nudity, featuring actress Kelly LeBrock in her debut role.

Principal photography took place in the fall of 1983 in San Francisco and surrounding locations.

The film's soundtrack was composed primarily by Stevie Wonder, with the exception of the track "It's More Than You," written by Ben Bridges. The soundtrack features vocal performances by Wonder and Dionne Warwick. Wonder's song "I Just Called to Say I Love You" received widespread acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as a Golden Globe Award.

The soundtrack album was commercially successful, reaching number four on the US Billboard 200 and topping the R&B Albums chart for four consecutive weeks. It also achieved significant international success, peaking at number two on the UK Albums Chart and reaching number one in Italy, Spain, and Sweden.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

The Woman in Red garnered significant publicity for Kelly LeBrock, a real-life fashion model making her screen debut. The film's promotional campaign prominently featured the "skirt-and-grate" scene, a visual homage to Marilyn Monroe’s iconic moment in The Seven Year Itch (1955), which helped establish LeBrock as a notable presence in popular culture.

The Woman in Red was released theatrically in the United States on August 15, 1984, by Orion Pictures.^[10]

The film was initially released on home video formats, including VHS and LaserDisc, followed by a DVD release in subsequent years.^[11][12] In the United States and Canada, Kino Lorber issued a Blu-ray edition in 2017, which featured the film’s original theatrical trailer and an audio commentary by critic and filmmaker Jim Hemphill.^[13] A German Blu-ray edition was released in January 2019. On November 27, 2023, Final Cut Entertainment issued the film on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom for the first time.^[14]

The Woman in Red was produced on an estimated budget of $9 million and earned $25.3 million domestically during its theatrical run.^[15][16]

The film debuted at number seven at the U.S. box office, earning $3.16 million in its opening weekend. It went on to gross $25.31 million in the United States, with no reported foreign box office earnings, reflecting a 100% domestic share.^[17]

The Woman in Red received mixed reviews from critics upon release. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 32% based on 19 reviews.^[18] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."^[19]

Richard Schickel of Time called the film “one of this summer’s more pungent pleasures,” praising it as “a well-made sex farce of classical proportions.”^[20] Variety commended the film’s comedic pacing, noting that “the laughs roll along readily,” and singled out Gilda Radner for her supporting performance.^[21]

Jeff Stricker of the Minnesota Star Tribune described the film as “a light, summer-weight sitcom and a loving adaptation of its French predecessor,” concluding that while it was not deeply profound, it was amusing and enjoyable.^[22] Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News had a more ambivalent response, writing that although it was “a giddy, reasonably funny farce,” its characters—particularly Teddy’s three male friends—were underdeveloped compared to their counterparts in the original French film.^[23]

Conversely, several critics were more dismissive. Ralph Novak of People criticized the film as “a criminal waste of time and talent,” particularly singling out the use of Stevie Wonder’s music and labeling the film’s narrative as “spurious in the extreme.”^[24] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune awarded the film one star, citing Kelly LeBrock’s appearance as its only redeeming feature. He criticized the other characters as implausible and harshly dismissed Radner’s minor role, questioning the film’s portrayal of her appearance.^[25]

Nancy Scoll of the San Francisco Examiner similarly gave the film a one-star rating and described it as “a classic example of a self-indulgent actor who should never direct or write,” calling the script “embarrassing” and the comedic elements “clumsy.”^[26]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
  • "I Just Called to Say I Love You" – Nominated^[30]

• What Happened on Twenty-third Street, New York City (1901)
• White dress of Marilyn Monroe

• The Woman in Red at IMDb 
• The Woman in Red at Box Office Mojo
• The Woman in Red at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Woman in Red at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• The Woman in Red at the TCM Movie Database