Funny About Love
When New York City cartoonist Duffy Bergman meets gourmet chef Meg Lloyd, he discovers the love of his life and they marry, yet love alone isn't enough to make them happy. Meg decides she wants to have a baby, which at first panics Duffy but soon becomes his top priority too. When they're unable to conceive, Meg concentrates on her career and the two drift apart and eventually separate. When Duffy later speaks at a convention of the Delta Gamma sorority, he reveals that Delta Gamma girls have always been his dream girls, then meets one of them, the uninhibited Daphne Delillo. When Daphne moves to New York City to work as a network sports reporter, their mutual attraction, and Daphne's spontaneity spark an adventurous new relationship for Duffy. Now Duffy must decide which is more valuable to him: the relationship he has given up, or the relationship he has always dreamed of having.
The film struggled financially against its modest budget of $12.0M, earning $8.1M globally (-32% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its unconventional structure within the comedy genre.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Funny About Love (1990) showcases precise narrative design, characteristic of Leonard Nimoy's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 41 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.2, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Duffy Bergman is a successful cartoonist living a carefree bachelor life in New York, witty and charming but uncommitted to serious relationships.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Duffy falls deeply in love with Meg, disrupting his comfortable bachelor existence. The intensity of his feelings challenges everything he thought he wanted.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Duffy and Meg decide to get married, fully committing to building a life together. Duffy actively chooses to leave his bachelor world behind., moving from reaction to action.
At 52 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Duffy and Meg struggle to conceive a child. What seemed like a perfect marriage hits a major obstacle, turning their joy into anxiety and medical intervention. False victory becomes false defeat., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 77 minutes (77% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Duffy and Meg separate. Their marriage—the dream they built together—dies. Duffy loses everything that mattered, hitting rock bottom emotionally., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 82 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 82% of the runtime. Duffy realizes that love isn't about control or perfect outcomes—it's about showing up and being present. He understands what he needs to do to win Meg back, synthesizing his growth with action., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Funny About Love's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Funny About Love against these established plot points, we can identify how Leonard Nimoy utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Funny About Love within the comedy genre.
Leonard Nimoy's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Leonard Nimoy films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Funny About Love represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Leonard Nimoy filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Leonard Nimoy analyses, see Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Duffy Bergman is a successful cartoonist living a carefree bachelor life in New York, witty and charming but uncommitted to serious relationships.
Theme
A colleague or friend comments on the relationship between love and control, suggesting that real love means losing control and accepting vulnerability.
Worldbuilding
Duffy's professional success as a cartoonist is established along with his resistance to commitment. He meets Meg Lloyd, a vibrant chef, and they begin dating. Their chemistry is immediate and playful.
Disruption
Duffy falls deeply in love with Meg, disrupting his comfortable bachelor existence. The intensity of his feelings challenges everything he thought he wanted.
Resistance
Duffy navigates the early stages of serious commitment with Meg. They grow closer, but Duffy wrestles with doubts about marriage and permanence while enjoying the relationship.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Duffy and Meg decide to get married, fully committing to building a life together. Duffy actively chooses to leave his bachelor world behind.
Mirror World
Married life begins with joy and intimacy. Meg represents the emotional authenticity Duffy needs to learn, teaching him about vulnerability and partnership.
Premise
The fun of married life: Duffy and Meg enjoy domestic bliss, plan for children, and experience the promise of the premise—exploring what it means to build a family together with humor and romance.
Midpoint
Duffy and Meg struggle to conceive a child. What seemed like a perfect marriage hits a major obstacle, turning their joy into anxiety and medical intervention. False victory becomes false defeat.
Opposition
The pressure of infertility destroys their intimacy. Sex becomes mechanical, romance dies, and resentment builds. Their marriage deteriorates as Duffy's flaws—impatience and need for control—surface.
Collapse
Duffy and Meg separate. Their marriage—the dream they built together—dies. Duffy loses everything that mattered, hitting rock bottom emotionally.
Crisis
Duffy spirals into depression and isolation, processing the loss of his marriage. He confronts what he truly values and what he contributed to the failure.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Duffy realizes that love isn't about control or perfect outcomes—it's about showing up and being present. He understands what he needs to do to win Meg back, synthesizing his growth with action.
Synthesis
Duffy pursues Meg with renewed commitment and vulnerability. He demonstrates that he's changed, fighting for their relationship without guarantees, accepting uncertainty and imperfection.
Transformation
Duffy and Meg reconcile, now transformed. No longer the carefree bachelor, Duffy has become a man capable of true partnership, accepting love's messiness and beauty.