The Four Seasons is a 1981 American romantic comedy film written and directed by and starring Alan Alda, which co-stars Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, Rita Moreno, Jack Weston, and Bess Armstrong. It draws its title from the four concerti composed by Antonio Vivaldi. Those compositions, along with others by Vivaldi, comprise the musical score.

The film spawned a short-lived CBS series in 1984 produced by Alda.

Plot summary

The story revolves around three upper middle-class married couples living in New York City who take vacations together during each of the seasons. After this pattern has been established, Nick leaves his wife of 21 years, Anne, during the spring trip to Nick and Anne s country house. He then proceeds to bring Ginny, a much younger woman, on the summer, fall, and winter vacation trips. This causes the other two couples to be uncomfortable, feeling as if they have betrayed their good friend Anne.

Characters

• Jack Burroughs (Alan Alda). Jack is a lawyer and happily married to Kate. He enjoys asking deep and probing questions and then volunteering an answer. Jack is moralistic, expressing disapproval of Nick for leaving his wife. He competes with the more athletic Nick in dirtbike racing, soccer, and skiing. His friends and wife consider him too judgmental at times. Instead of keeping true feelings to themselves, Jack thinks it s better for everyone to clear the air, when some feelings could be better off hidden.
• Kate Burroughs (Carol Burnett). Kate works as an editor for Fortune magazine. She suspects that her husband has fantasies of being worshipped by an attractive, younger woman the way Nick has. Since she comes across as well-organized and even perfect, Kate can feel invisible and neglected.
• Nick Callan (Len Cariou). Nick is an insurance salesman and estate planner. He is bored with his wife Anne and divorces her. He admits to Jack that he wants a woman who can excite him. Ginny, a younger woman, begins joining him on seasonal vacations with the Burroughses and Zimmers. Although his four friends disapprove, Nick is happy. Ginny marries him and becomes pregnant with his child.
• Danny Zimmer (Jack Weston). Danny is a dentist and married to Claudia. He shares with his male friends a passion for cooking and exotic dishes. He is oldest of the group and fears that he is approaching death. This has prompted diet changes and even irrational fears, like pressing strange elevator buttons. Danny can be quite cheap when it comes to money and often displays symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• Claudia Zimmer (Rita Moreno). Claudia is an accomplished painter. She can be quite outspoken, even to the point of being insensitive to others. Whenever her candor is criticized, Claudia refuses to apologize and cites her heritage ( I m Italian! ). She expresses the desire to feel in love the way Nick does with Ginny. After witnessing Nick and Ginny swim naked, Claudia and Danny try it themselves.
• Anne Callan (Sandy Dennis). Anne is a housewife, mother, and aspiring photographer. She takes pleasure in taking photos of vegetables, much to Nick s chagrin. After being left for a younger woman, Anne falls into depression. She believes that both Kate and Claudia deserted her following her divorce. To break out of her rut, Anne attempts to try new (but unusual) things such as buying a snake and planning a vacation to Czechoslovakia. Eventually she is able to support herself as a magazine photographer (taking pictures of people, not kumquats, as Nick observes).
• Ginny Newley (Bess Armstrong). Ginny begins a relationship with Nick after meeting him on a flight. She is attractive, bubbly, and a bit naive. She is in awe of the older Nick, whom she regards as quite accomplished. Although the Burroughses and Zimmers resent her as the other woman, they eventually accept her as a friend. Ginny defends Danny when the group mocks him for his irrational fears. Ginny marries Nick and she becomes pregnant with his child.
• Beth Burroughs (Elizabeth Alda). Beth is the daughter of Jack and Kate. She attends college at the University of Vermont and is an excellent student. Noting her upbeat attitude, Danny observes that she takes a real bite out of life. Beth s relationship with Lisa, a classmate, has deteriorated at college.
• Lisa Callan (Beatrice Alda). Lisa is the daughter of Nick and Anne. Her parents divorce greatly affected her and caused her to become sullen, withdrawn, and isolated at school. Lisa confesses her unhappiness to her father, who is unable to cheer her up.

Release

The film had its premiere at the Denver International Film Festival on April 30, 1981 before opening May 22.

Reception

The Four Seasons was a critical and box office success. Produced on a budget of $6.5 million, the film grossed $50,427,646, making it the ninth highest-grossing film of 1981. It holds a 76% Fresh rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes from 17 reviews.

The film also renewed interest in the Vivaldi concerti after which it was named and which its musical score included.

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
Bodil Awards	Best Non-European Film	Alan Alda	Won
Golden Globe Awards	Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy		Nominated
	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Alan Alda	Nominated
	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Carol Burnett	Nominated
	Best Screenplay – Motion Picture	Alan Alda	Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Comedy – Written Directly for the Screen		Nominated

Year	1981
ReleaseDate	1981-05-22
RuntimeMins	107
RuntimeStr	1h 47min
Plot	Three couples vacation together every season. After one divorces, feelings of betrayal and more spawn criticisms of one another, but the things that keep them together are stronger than those which might pull them apart.
Awards	Awards, 1 win & 5 nominations
Directors	Alan Alda
Writers	Alan Alda
Stars	Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou
Produced by	Martin Bregman, Michael Economou, Louis A. Stroller
Cinematography by	Victor J. Kemper
Editing by	Michael Economou
Casting By	Howard Feuer, Jeremy Ritzer
Production Design by	Jack T. Collis
Set Decoration by	Jerry Wunderlich
Costume Design by	Jane Greenwood
Makeup Department	Lynn Donahue, Judi Goodman, Terry Miles
Production Management	Mel Matz
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Yudi Bennett, Joan Van Horn
Art Department	Matty Azzarone, Gary Kudroff, Bert Rotter, Gary Seybert, Bill Gold
Sound Department	Peter Berkos, Barney Cabral, Gary Cunningham, Robert L. Hoyt, Robert Jackson, George E. Marshall Jr., Billy Mauch, Sol Tabachnick
Special Effects by	Candy Flanagin, Terence Saunders
Stunts	George Fisher, Loren Janes, Fred Lerner, Alex Stevens
Camera and Electrical Department	Arlene Alda, Lou Barlia, Holly Bower, Bobby Brown, Jack Brown, Alan R. Disler, Jim Purcell, Robert C. Thomas
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Marilyn Matthews
Script and Continuity Department	Roberta Sherry Scelza
Additional Crew	Rosemary Chiaverini, Jessica Gribetz, Shari Leibowitz
Genres	Comedy, Drama
Companies	Universal Pictures
Countries	USA
Languages	English
ContentRating	PG
ImDbRating	6.8
ImDbRatingVotes	5261
MetacriticRating	55
Keywords	spring the season,vacation,divorce,winter,autumn