For a 1984 movie, this is still a very engaging light comedy. Jo Beth Williams' charm carries the film. Tom Conti plays a role similar to, and even more appealing than, the character he would later in Shirley Valentine (he has much more screen time here). Coral Browne (Vera Charles in "Auntie Mame," heavenly voice in "Xanadu") is good her her brief scenes. Also, see if you can recognize the boy who plays her older son.

Please do not cheat yourself by over-analyzing the plot of this movie. It is a fantasy and should be viewed as such. There are so many great comic scenes, that to me it didn't matter what they had to do to set them up. Just go with it. In fact, I think the preposterousness makes it work even more. This film deserves rediscovery, or hell, just plain discovery!

There are a ton of plot holes in this amusing comedy that is extremely watchable in spite of all that. It is obvious that JoBeth Williams is having a ton of fun and she shares it with the audience, having up until then played either generic mother roles ("Poltergeist") or supporting roles (a scene stealing bit in "Kramer Vs. Kramer"),and this is by far her greatest part, one that should have gotten her at least a Golden Globe nomination.

She plays your ordinary frazzled housewife who lives her fantasy life wanting to be a writer of romantic adventures in spite of catering to the whims of her husband and two sons. She quickly establishes her comic talent in a very funny slapstick scene where every little kitchen gadget or piece of food becomes a prop in a wonderful pratfall. I had to rewind to watch that scene several times over and over.

But that is not how she ends up with amnesia. By chance, she wins a trip to France as part of a book writing contest and is hit by Giancarlo Gianinni's car, waking up to think that she is her favorite fictional romantic heroine, Rebecca Ryan. Through the generosity of Gianinni (or perhaps his fear of being sued),she ends up with a fabulous wardrobe and thinks that she lives in the opulent townhouse of the handsome Tom Conti who can't convince her otherwise.

This leads Williams and Conti on a series of wild adventures where she gets to live out her fantasy, attempting to prevent an assassination and ending up on a train which is identical to her dream from the opening scene. The fabulous Coral Browne as Conti's mother plays a variation of her Vera Charles role from "Auntie Mame" and is absolutely delightful.

James Staley, a character actor from many TV shows (instantly recognizable to me as a college dean on "Golden Girls) is delightfully square as her dull husband. So if you can get past the implausabilities of the story, you will truly enjoy it, and praise the comic timing of Williams who takes the comic abilities of Myrna Loy, Katharine Hepburn and Carole Lombard and roles them all into one.

Romantic Paris is the main setting for this fun romp through France in a film that features mistaken identities, amnesia and the yearning for something more than an ordinary life. A throwback to the screwball comedies of the 30's, this 80's gem is the perfect blend of international intrigue and pratfall humor, even adding a little twist at the end that you won't see coming! Jo Beth Williams is an amnesiac who believes she is the real-life heroine of a series of mystery books, and she acts accordingly. Tom Conti, who is the author of the books, becomes an unwilling accomplice to the amnesiac's delusions. Mayhem ensues as a result of Jo Beth Williams' actions and two actual villains are swept up in the chaos that ensues.

All of the actors are outstanding. Tom Conti shines as the haplessly overwhelmed straight man to Jo Beth Williams' delightfully outrageous amnesiac. The actors who played the Spanish diplomat and French politician couldn't have been more perfect for their roles. Their performances had us laughing so hard we had tears streaming. The secondary characters were well-cast and gave excellent performances. JoBeth Williams and Tom Conti play their roles to perfection. There is an hysterical scene in the police station that you have to see, and his mother, who Williams takes for "Aunt Edna" in the mystery series, handles her few lines with an unmatched elegance, and beautiful timing. There is enough material here for a whole series of movies, but they packed it into this one delightful romp you'll want to watch again and again.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.