Seems Like Old Times
After being falsely accused of robbing a bank, a writer seeks the help of his lawyer ex-wife to clear his name. However, hilarity ensues when he must hide from her husband, who’s throwing a party for law enforcement officials.
The film earned $44.0M at the global box office.
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%)
Seems Like Old Times (1980) exemplifies strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Jay Sandrich's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 42 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Nick Gardenia is living peacefully in his Carmel cabin, working as a writer, establishing his ordinary world before the disruption.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Nick, now a fugitive wrongly accused of bank robbery, desperately calls his ex-wife Glenda for help, disrupting both their lives and forcing them back into contact.. 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 demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Glenda makes the active choice to hide Nick in her house despite the enormous risk to her marriage and her husband's career, committing to help her ex-husband evade the law., moving from reaction to action.
The Collapse moment at 77 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The collapse: Ira discovers Nick in the house. Glenda's deception is exposed, her marriage crumbles, and everything she tried to protect falls apart. The confrontation forces all truths into the open., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 82 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Resolution: Nick is cleared of charges, Glenda and Ira reach an understanding about their incompatibility, loose ends are tied up. Glenda integrates her growth - no longer hiding her true self or feelings., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Seems Like Old Times's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Seems Like Old Times against these established plot points, we can identify how Jay Sandrich utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Seems Like Old Times within the comedy genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Nick Gardenia is living peacefully in his Carmel cabin, working as a writer, establishing his ordinary world before the disruption.
Theme
During the forced bank robbery setup, the notion emerges that you can't escape your past - relationships and choices follow you. The theme of reconciling who you were with who you've become.
Worldbuilding
Establishing Nick's peaceful writer life, then the forced bank robbery, his fugitive status, and introduction to Glenda's new life: remarried to DA Ira Parks, living in LA, running a haven for strays and causes.
Disruption
Nick, now a fugitive wrongly accused of bank robbery, desperately calls his ex-wife Glenda for help, disrupting both their lives and forcing them back into contact.
Resistance
Nick arrives at Glenda's home and she debates whether to help him. She's torn between her lingering feelings, loyalty to her new husband the DA, and her compulsion to help strays. Nick pleads his case.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Glenda makes the active choice to hide Nick in her house despite the enormous risk to her marriage and her husband's career, committing to help her ex-husband evade the law.
Premise
The comic premise plays out: Glenda juggles hiding Nick from Ira, managing her menagerie of dogs and houseguests, romantic tension with Nick resurfaces, and increasingly absurd complications as she tries to maintain both relationships and clear Nick's name.
Opposition
Complications mount: Ira grows suspicious, the police investigation closes in, Nick's presence becomes harder to conceal, Glenda's lies multiply, and she's forced to confront her true feelings while the pressure of discovery increases.
Collapse
The collapse: Ira discovers Nick in the house. Glenda's deception is exposed, her marriage crumbles, and everything she tried to protect falls apart. The confrontation forces all truths into the open.
Crisis
Glenda faces the wreckage of her choices: her marriage damaged, her reputation at risk, forced to acknowledge she can't please everyone. She must decide what she truly wants and who she really is.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Resolution: Nick is cleared of charges, Glenda and Ira reach an understanding about their incompatibility, loose ends are tied up. Glenda integrates her growth - no longer hiding her true self or feelings.