When Midlife Melodrama Collides with Hollywood Politics: The Troubled Saga of A Change of Seasons (1980)

A purportedly witty dramedy about shifting romantic boundaries turns into a tale of studio meddling, clashing egos, director upheaval, sudden sex-symbol exploitation, Razzie notoriety—and, decades later, an obscure rarity. Here’s what went wrong behind the scenes of A Change of Seasons.

The Story Behind the (Standard) Credits

When A Change of Seasons entered production under the working title Consenting Adults, expectations were modest: a $6 million dramedy starring Shirley MacLaine, Anthony Hopkins, and the then-rising Bo Derek.

1. Director Shake-Up: From Noel Black to Richard Lang

• Noël Black was originally hired due to his promising work on A Man, a Woman, and a Bank

• Production briefly halted around January 1980 due to creative tensions. Bo Derek’s husband/manager John Derek was implicated in various accounts: a Variety brief directly blamed him for creative differences with Black, while a later L.A Herald-Examiner piece refuted that claim

• A statement from producer Martin Ransohoff called it a shift rooted in “purely artistic differences”

• Ultimately, Richard Lang stepped in as director, completing the movie and meeting cast members in Los Angeles to go over “the entire script”

2. Bo Derek’s Rising Star (and Studio Intervention)

• By early 1980 Bo Derek’s fame was soaring, largely due to her breakout in 10. The producers capitalized on her sex-symbol cachet by calling her (and Hopkins) back for additional hot tub and nude scenes—reshoots clearly aimed at maximizing her market appeal.

3. Dutiful Cast… or a Cold Front?

• On-screen tensions bled off camera. Hopkins—then not yet a household name—reportedly described MacLaine as “the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with.” MacLaine apparently did not return the affection. This publicized clash added to the perception that the project was compromised by impulsive production decisions rather than actors’ chemistry.

4. A Critical Collapse: Razzie Nominations

• Upon release in December 1980, the film was savaged by critics. It earned three nominations at the first Golden Raspberry Awards in 1981—for Worst Actor (Hopkins), Worst Screenplay, and Worst Song (“Where Do You Catch the Bus for Tomorrow?”).

• Reviews called the screenplay “dreadful,” the direction misguided, and the overall experience “predictable,” “glib,” and “witless”.

5. Box Office and Vanishing Act

• The film barely recouped its budget—$7.2 million in North American gross against a $6 million budget.

• Post-theatrical life? Sparse. With neither high demand nor plex-worthy acclaim, it quietly slipped out of regular circulation. DVD or Blu-ray releases are rare and often region-locked, while streaming options remain limited or non-existent. (Moviefone notes a DVD release in 2006, but even then availability appears patchy) .

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Why This Matters in 2025

This film serves as a compact case study in how mid-production interventions—whether by managerial figures, studio impulses, or marketing fads—can unravel an otherwise promising vehicle. The director swap, the erotic reshoots, and the simmering star conflict show how competing agendas can subsume story and tone.

In Vanessa’s case, the film ended as a niche curiosity: a Razzie-tagged oddity featuring two Oscar-winning actors and a fleeting starlet, now buried in VHS vaults and unpinned digital archives. For fans of vintage 80s film, A Change of Seasons isn’t just forgotten—it’s cryptic.

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Sidebar: How to (Maybe) Watch It Today

• DVD/Blu-ray: A DVD surfaced in 2006, and Blu-ray listings exist—but often only overseas, or sold via collectors for inflated prices .

• Streaming: No major platform currently lists it. Best bet may be niche classic-movie sites or library networks.

• Physical Marketplaces: Search secondhand sellers or eBay. Expect rarity pricing—in part, that scarcity has made it a small cult collectible.

When Midlife Melodrama Collides with Hollywood Politics: The Troubled Saga of A Change of Seasons (1980)

Tags

#BoDerek #AnthonyHopkins #ShirleyMacLaine #Razzie #1980sCinema #BehindTheScenes #RareMovies #RichardLang #NoelBlack