A light comedy about a man juggling two relationships at once, Micki & Maude is silly and amusing, carried by three strong performances, even if some of its themes haven’t aged well.
I remember watching this movie on what must’ve been a VHS tape in around 1985, and maybe multiple times. I was a kid, but back then, silly movies were the thing. Meatballs, The Woman In Red, Grease 2 – we watched everything. Ratings didn’t matter as much, and it was a much more lenient time. So, while I watched this film a few times back then, it went the way of history, and I never thought about it again. Until now.
Micki & Maude is about Rob Salinger, a news anchor, who is married to rising attorney Micki Salinger. With her professional success, Micki is very busy, and Rob meets cellist Maude while interviewing her for a news piece. She invites him to her concert, and while he first tells her that he is busy with his wife that night, his plans get canceled, and he ends up spending the night with Maude. Not wanting to let go of either woman, Rob lives a secret double life, spending half the day with Micki and half with Maude.
To be clear, I did not remember this movie at all, other than the picture of two women in wedding dresses standing on either side of a groom. I thought I might, but I didn’t, so this is more like a first viewing for me. And while there are both misogynistic and odd 80s choices balanced with displays of female empowerment and modern conversations around abortion, it’s actually a pretty cute movie.
Micki & Maude would be nothing without Dudley Moore, Amy Irving, and Ann Reinking. The weight and charm of the entire film rests on their very talented shoulders, and it only works because they are all likable and full of life in their own unique ways. Both women are smart, talented, and beautiful, and, for whatever reason, they each choose this man. In 2026, this isn’t as much of an oddity, although everything should be consensual with all parties, but in 1984? Forget about it.
Also, there is an entire section devoted to professional wrestlers. I had absolutely no memory of that, and it’s extremely cool, particularly if you know anything about 80s wrestling. Hard Boiled Haggerty, Big John Studd, and Jack Armstrong are in this film, not to mention André the Giant. Until watching this film, I didn’t realize that André the Giant and Shawn Wallace had been in a film together before The Princess Bride, so this was a treat. They aren’t in the same scenes, but they are both in the cast!
From the fact that there were no cell phones to catch people kissing in public to the fact that both women look amazingly beautiful during and after childbirth, Micki & Maude plays into the farcical tone that it is going for, but it is very much a product of its time. Still, if you’re looking for an airy situational comedy with great leads, this would fit the bill. Plus, the ending puts a better bow on the movie than I would have expected, so that’s a bonus.
Runtime: 117 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG-13
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
Available: Free on Tubi, Hulu, and Disney+, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
I remember watching this movie on what must’ve been a VHS tape in around 1985, and maybe multiple times. I was a kid, but back then, silly movies were the thing. Meatballs, The Woman In Red, Grease 2 – we watched everything. Ratings didn’t matter as much, and it was a much more lenient time. So, while I watched this film a few times back then, it went the way of history, and I never thought about it again. Until now.
