Old Boyfriends 1979

In Colorado, Dianne Cruise, Talia Shire, is a clinical psychologist grappling with an identity crisis and a strained marriage. To search for herself, she embarks on a road trip to reconnect with three of her old boyfriends. Her first stop is on the set of a documentary being made by her college boyfriend, Jeff Turin, Richard Jordan. The shoot centers around a state campaign ad featuring Sam the Fisherman, Gerrit Graham who critiques a political opponent over polluted streams. After the ad wraps, Cruise joins the crew at a bar, where Sam again tries to draw her attention. When Turin and Cruise talk, they agree to meet the next night in the parking lot. They do reconnect the following evening and return to Cruise’s hotel, where they engage in sex. They each reveal they are married, but Cruise later tells Turin that her husband has committed suicide, while Turin confesses that his wife has left him and is living with an artist in Canada. After a brief affair, Cruise leaves without saying goodbye to Turin, setting the stage for the personal reckoning to come.

In Minneapolis, the second leg of her journey brings Cruise to her high school years’ boyfriend, Eric Katz, John Belushi. Katz runs a formal-wear business and also plays in a band that fills high school dances and lounge venues. Cruise requests a formal dress drop-off for a conference, and Katz appears at her hotel room, inviting her to two of his shows. He makes moves to seduce her, but she resists at first; after the second show, a gym-centered performance, Cruise agrees to sleep with him. They drive to a lookout and Cruise asks Katz to reenact a humiliating moment from their past by pretending to bully her, then she surprises him by leaving him stranded, effectively avenging his earlier cruelties. Meanwhile, Turin has hired a private investigator, Art Kopple, Buck Henry, to locate Cruise. Kopple makes calls and uncovers Cruise’s workplace and home address, while Turin heads to the clinic where Cruise works and learns from her boss that her husband, David Brinks, William Bassett, is alive and did not die as previously believed.

In a small town, Cruise pursues her first college romance by checking into a hotel across from the ex-boyfriend’s childhood home. There she meets the ex’s younger brother, Wayne Van Til, Keith Carradine. Wayne explains that his older brother’s death in Vietnam has scarred him deeply—he’s still living with his mother, has no job, and has few friends. Cruise suggests she might help Wayne recover emotionally, and the pair become sexually involved. This relationship destabilizes Wayne, leading to renewed emotional strain and his return to psychiatric care. Wayne’s mother, Mrs. Vantil, Bethel Leslie, confides in Cruise about Wayne’s fragile state. The visit to Wayne’s psychiatrist, Dr. Hoffman, John Houseman, culminates in a stern rebuke for Cruise’s role in causing Wayne further distress. In the final confrontation, Turin tracks Cruise down at her home, and the two ultimately reunite as a couple, closing the loop on a journey that tested love, memory, and personal identity.