Alex & The Gypsy (1976)

An aging bail bondsman (Jack Lemmon) stands bail for a gypsy (Genevieve Bujold) when she is accused of stabbing her husband. Even though they had an affair several years ago, he suspects she will skip out on him. Based on the novel THE BAILBONDSMAN by Stanley Elkin and directed by John Korty (THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN). Something happened to Jack Lemmon's acting in the 1970s and it continued through the rest of his career. He began intensely overacting. This often worked in his comedic roles like THE OUT OF TOWNERS and PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE but it was a mess in most of his dramatic roles and that included his Oscar winning turn in SAVE THE TIGER. When he was reined in, he could still be wonderful (CHINA SYNDROME, MISSING) but he's just awful here. I've not read the Elkin source material but it seems the film doesn't resemble it much nor the racist and misogynistic protagonist of that book. Bujold's character which is a major character in the film is an invention of the screenwriter, she's not in Elkin's book. The film is a mess and I've seen it described as a comedy ... you could have fooled me. A misguided misfire! With James Woods, Robert Emhardt and Eddra Gale.