Upon its release during the Christmas season in 1980, The Competition fell under the radar, caught in the shadow of the high profile comedies 9 to 5 and Stir Crazy, which were released at the same time. However, The Competition did receive positive attention from critics. "Mr. Dreyfuss forgoes his trademark wise-guy manner," said the New York Times, "...Nevertheless, he gives a forceful, believable performance, with an edginess that accounts for much of the movie's dramatic power. Miss Irving is more appealing than she is convincing, but she makes an animated romantic lead...Miss Remick, smashing as ever, has the movie's funniest line, but it's not a line that can be repeated here." Time magazine said, "In the midst of this teacup tempestuousness one comes to admire Lee Remick. She plays Irving's ambitious, cynical and, it would seem, sexually frustrated teacher. She has given up her life for her music, and it falls to Remick to deliver most of the movie's truly impossible lines-the stuff about art being a more reliable lover than any man can be, for example. Somehow, she manages to throw all that stuff away gracefully and emerge likeable. It is a little triumph of professional grace for Remick, who must be one of the busiest-and best-actresses around..." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said, "The Competition isn't a great movie, but it's a warm, entertaining one. It has the nerve to tell a story about serious, interesting, complicated people, who are full of surprises, because Joel Oliansky, the writer-director, has thought about them and cared enough about them to let their personalities lead him down unexpected avenues."
The Competition received two Academy Award® nominations for Best Editing and Best Original Song for "People Alone," which plays over the end credits.
Producer: William Sackheim
Director: Joel Oliansky
Screenplay: Joel Oliansky (screenplay and story); William Sackheim (story)
Cinematography: Richard H. Kline
Music: Lalo Schifrin
Film Editing: David Blewitt
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss (Paul Dietrich), Amy Irving (Heidi Joan Schoonover), Lee Remick (Greta Vandemann), Sam Wanamaker (Andrew Erskine), Joseph Cali (Jerry DiSalvo), Ty Henderson (Michael Humphries), Vicki Kriegler (Tatjana Baronov), Adam Stern (Mark Landau).
C-123m.
by Andrea Passafiume
