Pie in the Sky
Last Friday. I posted a video here of Charles Grodin as a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. In discussing it, I mentioned the one time I crossed paths with him and discussed the great "pie scene" from the movie The Heartbreak Kid he starred in, written by Neil Simon (based on a short story by Bruce Jay Friedman). This is the original film, not the remake with Ben Stiller.
The "pie scene" is remarkable -- from both the tour-de-force acting (by Grodin and Jeannie Berlin) and superbly-layered writing. I should add, too, that it's wonderfully directed by Berlin's mother: Elaine May!
And happily, I found a video of it, so I can show you what I mean, if you haven't seen the movie. It turned out to be as easy to find as I hoped. All I had to do was type in the YouTube Search box “The Heartbreak Kid” and “pie scene.” That's how notable it is.
To set up the scene, it comes when Grodin's character knows he has to finally tell his new bride (played by Berlin) on their honeymoon that he wants a divorce. They had married very quickly; as he learns her habits and quirks, gnawing second-thoughts engulf his waking hours, and while she's been bed-ridden from sunstroke, he has become totally infatuated with the gorgeous Cybill Shepard. Hoping to somehow soften the blow, and filled with pent-up angst, he’s taken his unsuspecting wife to a lobster restaurant known for great pecan pie which he thinks will therefore be the best place to break the horrible news to her. It’s a brilliant scene that’s a combination of hilarious, painful and tragic – and goes on for about 11 remarkable minutes.
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