Pauline Kael

“When Jessica Lange appears, the movie changes … to something calmer, and perhaps richer. She has a facial structure that the camera yearns for, and she has talent, too. Her face is softer here than in Frances; her Julie is a dream girl, and she’s like a shock absorber to Michael. When he, dressed as Dorothy, sees her, some of his irascibility melts away. Julie has honey-colored hair, and a friendly smile; she looks freshly created—just hatched, and pleasantly, warmly spacy (enough to be deeply impressed by Dorothy’s high-principled talk about the theatre). Jessica Lange helps to keep the movie from being too frenetic. There is none of the usual actress’s phoniness in her work; as Julie, she says her lines in such a mild, natural way that it makes perfect sense for Michael to stop in his tracks and stare at her in wonder. The picture is marvelous fun.”

Pauline Kael
New Yorker, December 27, 1982
Taking It All In, 432