Starting Over

Burt Reynolds plays Phil Potter, a low-key, contented magazine writer who tries to put his life back together after his wife (Candice Bergen) opts for independence as a singer-songwriter. Jill Clayburgh, a wacky nursery school teacher, tries to help him surmount the emotional hurdles, but it’s rough going in this delightful contemporary tale; he’s still hung up on his ex-wife. Starting Over is sprinkled with comedy, from Bergen’s cacophonous singing to Reynolds’ near-breakdown in Bloomingdale’s. Both Clayburgh and Bergen received Academy Award. nominations. (Paramount)