Andrew Sarris

“Meryl Streep plays a Louisiana public interest lawyer with a voice shaded by magnolia blossoms, but with a mind like a steel trap. She was the forgotten woman in the male tearbath, The Deerhunter [sic], but opposite Alda's Tynan she reminds us that exquisite eye-contact can be established in a masculine-feminine flirtation…. [insert RE scene where Streep & Harris meet at dinner]

“I could go on and on about Streep and Harris, but I must give full credit to Alan Alda for writing good women's roles, and for acting opposite them in a supportive manner that enhanced their emotional entrechats….

“…. [I]f we are not talking about art for the ages, but about movies for the summer, rush off to see The Seduction of Joe Tynan, a sparkling entertainment about adult men and women. At the very least, both Meryl Streep and Barbara Harris deserve Oscar consideration.”

Andrew Sarris
Village Voice, August 20, 1979