Film

Lovesick

Name: Lovesick
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Fantasy
Released: 1983
Cast: Dudley Moore, Elizabeth McGovern, John Huston, Alan King, Gene Saks

Other titles called Lovesick: the 2014 series (Netflix).

A Manhattan psychiatrist, trapped between duty and desire, gets supernatural counsel from Sigmund Freud's ghost as he falls for a patient. This 1983 romantic comedy trades plot coherence for whimsy, banking on Dudley Moore's charm and the sheer audacity of its premise. It's for anyone who loves '80s oddities and doesn't mind when movies prioritize mood over sense.

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Annie Hall1977

A neurotic New Yorker navigates romance and identity through witty dialogue and inventive editing. Like Lovesick, it pairs psychological self-awareness with romantic fumbling, though with far more narrative discipline and genuine pathos.

But Woody Allen's neurotic persona can feel repetitive or self-indulgent if you're not already aligned with his sensibility. Also considerably more serious than Lovesick's tonal whimsy.

Splash1984

A magical-realism romance with a fantastical lover and New York setting, equally willing to be silly and charming. Tom Hanks matches Moore's everyman appeal while grounding an absurd premise with genuine warmth.

But The mermaid conceit feels dated now, and the film occasionally mistakes sentimentality for emotion. Some find the romantic logic lazy.

The Fisher King1991

Terry Gilliam wraps Arthurian legend around Manhattan psychiatry and impossible romance. Shares Lovesick's blend of fantasy intrusion into urban neurosis, but with deeper emotional stakes and visual invention.

But Gilliam's maximalist style overwhelms the story for some viewers. The tone careens between whimsy and genuine trauma in ways that don't always cohere.

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The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Harold and Maude1971

Both believe romance requires someone slightly unhinged to break through conventional logic. Both pair youth with an older guide figure. Both ask: what if the taboo thing is actually where the real feeling lives?

A young man fixated on death meets an old woman fixated on life; they fall in love despite—because of—every reason not to. Like Lovesick, it's a romantic comedy built on psychological asymmetry and the acceptance of weirdness as a prerequisite for intimacy. But where Lovesick plays it for whimsy, this plays it for genuine human connection.

But The age gap and the suicide-obsession premise make some viewers deeply uncomfortable. The ukulele score and '70s earnestness can feel precious or manipulative depending on your mood.

Ghostbusters II1989

Supernatural Manhattan hijinks with a mostly-earnest core beneath the comedy. Bill Murray's weary charm and the film's commitment to both laughs and oddness mirror Lovesick's tonal ambitions.

But Feels like a retread of the first film for many. The supernatural mechanics are never quite believable, which some find frustrating rather than charming.

Defending Your Life1991

Albert Brooks as a neurotic everyman confronting existential questions through a romantic connection. It's Lovesick's DNA—psychological comedy meets fantasy—but sharper and more philosophically coherent.

But The afterlife premise requires patience and good faith. If you want plot momentum over conceptual play, this will frustrate you.

La La Land2016

A contemporary romantic fantasy about artists in a magical city. Both films prioritize mood and charm over rigid narrative logic, and both believe romance requires a touch of the impossible.

But The whimsy some find beguiling, others find saccharine. The film's self-consciousness about movie-romance can feel like admiring itself in the mirror.

The Poseidon Adventure1972

Dudley Moore in ensemble disaster mode, showcasing his gift for mixing pathos with humor. A different genre entirely, but proof of Moore's underrated range and timing.

But The disaster film formula is dated and the special effects cheesy by design. The romantic subplot is minimal compared to the spectacle.

Ghostbusters1984

Manhattan supernatural comedy that found the exact frequency Lovesick was reaching for. Sharper writing and casting, plus genuine scares beneath the laughs, make it the version that worked.

But If you've seen it a hundred times, the comedy lands softer now. The special effects, though charming, show their age.

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes1984

Ralph Richardson and John Huston (who also appears in Lovesick) in a surprisingly thoughtful fantasy-romance with genre ambitions. Worth seeing for Huston's presence and the film's genuine attempt at something odd and elegant.

But The tone is uneven, shifting between comedy and earnest melodrama without warning. The ape effects are distracting rather than convincing by modern standards.

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes poster

Being John Malkovich1999

Both are about a man's impossible romance enabled by a breach in consensus reality. But Malkovich treats the psychological weirdness with full seriousness—no jokes, just the horror and ecstasy of losing the boundary between self and other.

A portal into another man's consciousness; a love triangle built on psychological merging; the question of whether you can ever truly be close to someone else. Charlie Kaufman's surrealism achieves what Lovesick attempts through fantasy—making the internal life external and tangible.

But The film's conceptual cleverness can feel cold or mannered. Some viewers find the exploration of obsession and identity unsettling rather than charming. It's much weirder and less romantic than Lovesick, which may disappoint.