An Unmarried Woman

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An Unmarried Woman

R,

1978,

2h 5m,

Drama

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Watchlist

90%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

An attractive and well-to-do New Yorker, Erica Benton (Jill Clayburgh), finds her comfortable existence upended when her husband, Martin (Michael Murphy), ends their marriage and takes up with a younger woman. Hurt and angered by her husband's betrayal, Erica slowly begins to reevaluate her life and explore her newfound freedom. Eventually, she starts a relationship with an English artist named Saul (Alan Bates), but is wary of repeating past mistakes.

Critics Consensus

Jill Clayburgh is wondrous as a woman who loses her marriage -- only to find herself -- in this acutely observed and lived-in portrait of New York City life.

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Simran Hans

New Statesman

Oct 7, 2020

Clayburgh is luminous as Erica, wounded and stumbling, yet somehow graceful.

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

Jul 8, 2019

An Unmarried Woman explores the emotional turmoil of an abandoned wife with rare wit and perception.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jun 15, 2018

4/4

Clayburgh takes chances in this movie. She's out on an emotional limb. She's letting us see and experience things that many actresses simply couldn't reveal.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Apr 6, 2026

5/5

‘…complete with an uplifting Bill Conti score, An Unmarried Woman is a Rocky story for women…a ground-breaking film about a woman’s search to find herself…’

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Chase Burns

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Jan 20, 2022

Clayburgh is dazzlingly frank. She carries a poker face when around the film's men. All her largest emotions are kept for herself. It's thrilling. I miss her.

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Jill Nicholls

Spare Rib

Sep 22, 2021

It's just another of those films made by a man with women in mind.

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Theodore R

Feb 9, 2017

An unmarried woman tells the story of Erica Benton a married woman who finds out her husband has been cheating on her for a lengthy period of time. The two separate and Erica is left with a not only a broken heart but also a wide range of emotions including confusion and uncertainty about how to move on. The film follows Erica as she discovers what its like to be single after so many year being married. This is an interesting film with a feminist vibe to it, I enjoyed it. The movie's core is it's exploration of the idea of a woman being liberated after suffering heartbreak. I can tell this inspired a lot of conversation about marriage and women not being afraid of being single, to be strong and have fun when it comes to dating. A very well crafted original script. Great directing from paul Mazursky. The mood and direction of the film wasn't sappy or clichéd it was intriguing and refreshing at the time. Jill Clayburgh performance is tremendous and empowering for women. She takes us on a real journey with this woman who struggles to navigate the single life. lisa lucas did a great job in here. I liked this brutally honest character of patricia who is almost expericing erica's man troubles as a teen. alan bates did a very good job here. he managed to have great chemistry with Clayburgh. Saul is very similar to Erica and manages to bring out aspects of her personality that she had laid dormant for sometime. Motiff's of sadness, confusion and anger are a very much apparent in the film. great cinematography and lighting. good editing as well and the music was fantastic! So 70's and really added to the style of the film. the ending was actually very clever as we by that point see the fully changed woman that Erica becomes through the usage of the painting. An excellent feature that caters to all the single ladies out there

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Luke G

Aug 16, 2016

This intelligent, sincere, and very funny study of a female divorcée from the late 1970s is still relevant, making it all the more fascinating.

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Paul Mazursky

Director

Jill Clayburgh

Erica

Alan Bates

Saul

Michael Murphy

Martin

Cliff Gorman

Charlie

Patricia Quinn

Sue

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78%

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Synopsis

An attractive and well-to-do New Yorker, Erica Benton (Jill Clayburgh), finds her comfortable existence upended when her husband, Martin (Michael Murphy), ends their marriage and takes up with a younger woman. Hurt and angered by her husband's betrayal, Erica slowly begins to reevaluate her life and explore her newfound freedom. Eventually, she starts a relationship with an English artist named Saul (Alan Bates), but is wary of repeating past mistakes.

Director: Paul Mazursky
Producer: Paul Mazursky, Anthony Ray
Screenwriter: Paul Mazursky
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 5, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016
Runtime: 2h 5m

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