Sure, this is a romantic comedy, but I wouldn't call it a chick flick. It's a great story, and all the principals work effortlessly towards making the film just downright entertaining.

Garner is at his best as an understatedly charming small-town pharmacist who becomes entangled in the life of a fiercely independent single mother with a deadbeat ex-husband. Field hits all the right notes with her character, but I can't tell if she's stepping back, or she just doesn't know how to play against Garner's lackadaisical style. Brian Kerwin gives his best screen performance as her ex, and sure, he plays a deadbeat, but he just oozes sex appeal.

After 30 years of only hearing about this one, I finally watched Murphy's Romance on Netflix disc with my mom just now. It's a nice drama with some humorous touches throughout. Sally Field plays a divorced mother with a young boy (Corey Haim) who's befriended by James Garner as a druggist who occasionally spends time with them. Ms. Field also has an ex-husband who comes by and tries to rekindle his romance with her. I'll stop there and just say both me and Mom enjoyed the light touches of many scenes. It took a while for something to be going on but it was never boring. Oh, and if you're a big fan of It's a Wonderful Life like I am, you'll probably get a kick of one of its players-Charles Lane-appearing here as an old man who takes a ride in James Garner's car and thinks he's going too fast even though he's only driving at 30 miles! He's also in a later dance sequence with a woman near his age. So on that note, I highly recommend Murphy's Romance.