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      Watch trailer for Love With the Proper Stranger

      Love With the Proper Stranger

      1963, Comedy/Drama, 1h 42m

      11 Reviews 1,000+ Ratings

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      Movie Info

      Angie Rossini (Natalie Wood), an innocent New York City sales clerk from a repressive Italian-American family, engages in a short-lived affair with a handsome jazz musician named Rocky Papasano (Steve McQueen). When Angie becomes pregnant, she tracks down Rocky hoping he'll pay for her abortion. Rocky agrees to help, but after seeing the unsanitary abortion facility, he refuses to let Angie go through with the procedure and attempts to make her an honest woman.

      • Genre: Comedy, Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Robert Mulligan

      • Producer: Alan J. Pakula

      • Writer: Arnold Schulman

      • Release Date (Theaters):  original

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Paramount Pictures

      • Production Co: Pakula-Mulligan

      Cast & Crew

      Natalie Wood
      Steve McQueen
      Herschel Bernardi
      Tom Bosley
      Harvey Lembeck
      Penny Santon
      Augusta Ciolli
      Mario Badolati
      Nina Varela
      Nobu McCarthy
      Richard Mulligan
      Arlene Golonka
      Richard Dysart
      Vic Tayback
      Arnold Schulman
      Elmer Bernstein
      Milton R. Krasner
      Aaron Stell
      Roland Anderson
      Hal Pereira
      Sam Comer
      Grace Gregory
      Edith Head

      Critic Reviews for Love With the Proper Stranger

      Audience Reviews for Love With the Proper Stranger

      • Jan 22, 2017
        What on the surface may be construed as a typical 1960's romantic comedy is a great film with real weight. First off, as Natalie Wood's character has to stand up to her annoying brothers, who are over-protective and try to coerce her into a relationship with a nice guy played by Tom Bosley of all people (Mr. Cunningham from 'Happy Days'), it has a strong feminist message. Secondly, the film asks questions about the biggest things in life - is there such a thing as romantic love, or does lust obscure everything? And should one just settle in marriage, because, as a minor character so wisely puts it at a dinner party, "love is really an art, and like every other art, it demands practice and patience, consistent dedication and hard work." Lastly, and this is the biggest thing, the film shows what it meant to try to get an abortion before it was legal. You see, very early on in the film, Natalie Wood has told Steve McQueen that she's pregnant as a result of their one-night stand. That leads up to an extended sequence trying to get an abortion in an abandoned apartment which is horrifying, not because they "show" anything, but because it is so gritty and real, and filled with psychological pain. So here it is that you have this film with a beautiful couple with great chemistry, Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen, and you're in an emotional drama, and yet, it's one that has a sense of lightness about it, because of the strong performances they turn in, both of them delicately finding this balance. You have to love Wood's character at so many turns, as she consistently strives to find her own path in life, and her own voice. What an amazing film this is for 1963, and how timely it was seeing it in January, 2016, ominously showing what getting an abortion would be like in America if Roe v. Wade was overturned, and we went backwards during the Trump regime.
        Super Reviewer
      • Dec 11, 2013
        Now this is a good bit of acting. The addressing of the abortion issue is very telling for its era. It is likely that this type of drama paved the way for film makers to take more chances and emerge from the rather grey 50s. Natalie Wood and McQueen are very solid.
        Super Reviewer

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