I'm about 30 years late in reviewing this movie. It was released when I was too busy with my career to go to the movies, but I placed it on my "bucket list" because it had 12 Academy Award nominations, losing "best picture" to Chariots of Fire.
The extended clip above portrays the film as a light romantic comedy, but it is way more complex than that, presenting the lives of two real people involved in the birth of the American communist party. It is a long (3-hour) and sometimes difficult movie which is at times heavy in terms of polemics and political wrangling; with the judicious use of the fast-forward button I was able to focus on the best parts.
I think this movie presents Diane Keaton (nominated for Best Actress) at her best, especially in scenes of anger and argument; Maureen Stapleton won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of anarchist Emma Goldman. For those interested in political history, there are object lessons here regarding the fracturing of political parties and the surrendering of underlying political principles to the tyranny of pragmatic party politics.
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