A breezy, star-powered 60s romantic comedy with strong chemistry, sharp apartment-era New York charm, and a few genuinely funny domestic set pieces. It’s best enjoyed as a light, stylish relationship comedy rather than a deep or especially modern portrait of marriage.
Barefoot in the Park
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Comedy · Romance
Thu · 1h 46m
Director: Gene Saks
Starring: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Charles Boyer
Overview
In this film based on a Neil Simon play, newlyweds Corie, a free spirit, and Paul Bratter, an uptight lawyer, share a sixth-floor apartment in Greenwich Village. Soon after their marriage, Corie tries to find a companion for mother, Ethel, who is now alone, and sets up Ethel with neighbor Victor. Inappropriate behavior on a double date causes conflict, and the young couple considers divorce.
Director
Gene Saks
Cast
Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Charles Boyer
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, star-powered 60s romantic comedy with strong chemistry, sharp apartment-era New York charm, and a few genuinely funny domestic set pieces. It’s best enjoyed as a light, stylish relationship comedy rather than a deep or especially modern portrait of marriage.
Best for
fans of classic studio comedies
viewers who like charming star chemistry
people who enjoy 1960s fashion and New York settings
audiences in the mood for a light, low-stakes romance
Skip if
you want a tightly plotted or especially layered comedy
you’re impatient with stage-play dialogue and sitcom-style escalation
you prefer modern relationship realism
you need a romance with much emotional depth or complexity
Overview
Barefoot in the Park is a very polished example of the Neil Simon adaptation: brisk, witty, and built almost entirely on the friction between opposites. The premise is simple, but the movie knows exactly how to milk it for comic discomfort, from the tiny apartment headaches to the increasingly absurd social misfires. It’s a film that lives on timing, posture, and the pleasure of watching two attractive people argue their way toward compatibility.
Worth noting
The appeal is less in narrative surprise than in texture. Greenwich Village looks inviting and cramped at once, and the production design gives the whole thing a warm, autumn-to-winter glow. Jane Fonda and Robert Redford are the main event: she brings spark and volatility, he brings dry rigidity, and the contrast gives the movie its bounce even when the material feels a little stage-bound.
Bottom line
What keeps it from being an outright essential is that the comedy is intentionally broad and the emotional stakes are fairly modest. Still, if you like classic romantic comedies with immaculate star appeal, a cleanly engineered premise, and a strong sense of place, this is an easy one to enjoy.
Top Letterboxd reviews
eely (3.5★) · 1187 likes
jane fonda in those OUTFITS! robert redford running around with a trash can on his HEAD! CINEMA!
cinéfila... 🕯️ (3.5★) · 1010 likes
60s robert redford was the peak of male beauty
Madison 🎭 (4★) · 933 likes
my biggest mood is when he bought himself a pound of grapes and just sat on the couch and ate them while sneezing
ykg (4★) · 763 likes
I cried. Not at the romance — just at the part when she says her rent is $75/month.
sofi✨ (3.5★) · 585 likes
i honestly don’t know if i’m more in love with 60s robert redford or 60s jane fonda
1955 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 45m · NR · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Brew, Darkroom, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A foundational urban-marriage comedy with apartment-life tension and flirtatious energy.
Themes
newlywed friction, opposites attract, marriage and compromise, urban apartment comedy, gender roles, 1960s New York, stage-to-screen adaptation, light romantic farce
Topics
romantic comedy, classic Hollywood, marital comedy, 1960s, New York City, apartment farce, screwball energy, fashion, stage adaptation, lighthearted