Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Mazursky produced a series of elegant comedies, each characterized by interesting and witty commentary on middle-class mores. Taken together, the films add up to an oeuvre of considerable attractiveness.
ALEX IN WONDERLAND (1970), Mazursky's 8½, comments on the "new" Hollywood of the late 60s. Donald Sutherland is the confused auteur/director. BLUME IN LOVE (1973) is a self-conscious romance, a 15-years-early model for "thirtysomething." HARRY AND TONTO (1974) revived Art Carney's career with his role as the old man in search of an ending, trekking across America. NEXT STOP, GREENWICH VILLAGE (1976) celebrated, not only Mazursky's own roots in the coffee houses and clubs of the Village of the 50s, but also that important wellspring of contemporary culture. AN UNMARRIED WOMAN (1978), Mazursky's greatest success of the 70s, became a beacon of the women's movement, with Jill Clayburgh winning an Oscar nomination for her depiction of a woman rebuilding her life after a divorce.
WILLIE AND PHIL (1980) deals with a contemporary love triangle, again set in Greenwich Village, still Mazursky's home at the time. TEMPEST (1982), an audacious reworking of Shakespeare's swan song, again attempted to limn the life of the artist. John Cassavetes starred and his own distinct viewpoint pervades the film.
MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON (1984), a bittersweet portrait of a Soviet defector's adaptation to life in America, gave Robin Williams a chance to expand his repertoire in a study of contemporary migration. DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS (1986) is Mazursky's version of the Jean Renoir classic, BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING. It marked Mazursky's return to West Coast subjects after a 15-year absence. It was also his first real box-office hit in nearly as many years, proving perhaps that Beverly Hills lifestyles far outsell Greeenwich Village funk.
MOON OVER PARADOR (1988) deals, less insightfully, with a parody of banana republic politics. ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY (1989), much more ambitious, speaks eloquently of resilience, humor and passion in the shadow of the Holocaust in 1940s New York. He wrote, directed and produced SCENES FROM A MALL (1991), which starred Woody Allen and Bette Midler. He followed it with THE PICKLE (1993), with Danny Aiello and Dyan Cannon. He directed Chazz Palminteri's screenplay FAITHFUL (1996) that starred Palminteri and Cher. Next came the made-for-HBO movie WINCHELL in 1998. Stanley Tucci played the title role. More recent directing credits include "Coast to Coast" (TV, 2003) and YIPEE (2006).
Mazursky continues to act, in his own films and others, and, like his contemporary and late colleague John Cassavetes, regards filmmaking as a family matter. Wife Betsy and daughters Jill and Meg have appeared in a number of his films, as has his psychiatrist, Donald F. Muhich. In 1990 Mazursky executive-produced daughter Jill's screenplay, TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS.
Nominated for Writing (Story and Screenplay based on material not previously published or produced) 1969: BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE (w. Larry Tucker)
Nominated for Writing (Original Screenplay) 1974: HARRY AND TONTO (w. Josh Greenfeld)
Nominated for Best Picture 1978: AN UNMARRIED WOMAN - Producer (w. Tony Ray)
Nominated for Writing (Screenplay written directly for the screen) 1978: AN UNMARRIED WOMAN
Nominated for Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium) 1989: ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY (w. Roger L. Simon)
5 nominations