Skip to main content

Home Movies TV Shows Genres People Watchlist

Search movies, TV shows and people

Home Movies TV Shows Genres People Watchlist

About WatchList

Discover the best movies and TV shows across all streaming platforms. Never miss what's trending and find your next favorite watch.

Quick Links

Popular Movies Popular TV Shows Browse Genres People About WatchList

Data Source

Powered by The Movie Database (TMDb)

© 2026 WatchList. All rights reserved.

Made with for movie lovers

Willie & Phil

Willie & Phil

Willie & Phil

Willie & Phil

Heads or Tails...

1980•1h 55m•

★4.6(12 ratings)

ComedyDramaRomance

Overview

Life imitates art when two Manhattanites — pompous teacher Willie and quiet photographer Phil — become friends after a thought-provoking screening of "Jules et Jim," Truffaut's classic film about a decades-long ménage à trois. Soon, the men meet Jeanette, a sexually liberated southern transplant who promptly falls for both of them. Frustrated passions curdle into jealousy as Jeanette entertains love affairs with each in the ensuing years.

Director

Writers

Watchlist

Main Cast

Michael Ontkean

Michael Ontkean

Willie Kaufman

Margot Kidder

Margot Kidder

Jeannette Sutherland

Ray Sharkey

Ray Sharkey

Phil D'Amico

Jan Miner

Jan Miner

Maria Kaufman

Tom Brennan

Tom Brennan

Mr. Sal Kaufman

Julie Bovasso

Julie Bovasso

Mrs. D'Amico

Louis Guss

Louis Guss

Mr. D'Amico

Kathleen Maguire

Kathleen Maguire

Mrs. Sutherland

Kaki Hunter

Kaki Hunter

Patti Sutherland

Kristine DeBell

Kristine DeBell

Rena

Alison Cass Shurpin

Alison Cass Shurpin

Zelda Kaufman #4

Christine Varnai

Christine Varnai

Zelda Kaufman #3

Full Crew

Direction

Director: Paul Mazursky

Writing

Writer: Paul Mazursky

Production

Unit Production Manager: Anthony Ray
Producer: Anthony Ray
Casting: Juliet Taylor
Producer: Paul Mazursky
Associate Producer: Terence A. Donnelly

Music & Sound

Original Music Composer: Claude Bolling
Original Music Composer: Georges Delerue

Cinematography

Director of Photography: Sven Nykvist

Editing

Editor: Donn Cambern

Art Direction

Set Decoration: Ernie Bishop
Production Design: Pato Guzman
Set Decoration: Edward Stewart

Costume & Make-Up

Costume Design: Albert Wolsky
Makeup Artist: Louis Lane
Makeup Artist: Joe Cranzano

Keywords

polyamory

Videos

Did You Know?

#1

The film's tagline is: "Heads or Tails..."

#2

The film had a budget of $5.5M but only grossed $4.4M, losing $1.1M at the box office.

#3

The runtime is 115 minutes (1h 55m).

#4

The film was directed by Paul Mazursky.

#5

The screenplay was written by Paul Mazursky.

#6

The score was composed by Claude Bolling.

#7

Cinematography was handled by Sven Nykvist.

#8

This title is listed on IMDb as tt0081758.

Gallery

Similar Movies

The Blood Oranges

The Blood Oranges

1997

Cyril and Fiona, a free-wheeling married couple, travel to a tropical coastal town to follow their sexual fantasies. Cyril is a manipulator. There, they meet another couple, Catherine and Hugh, and their three children. Hugh is a one-armed photographer who specializes in nude photographs of peasant women. Soon, they decide to live together and an erotic atmosphere develops between them.

The Velocity of Gary

The Velocity of Gary

1999

When bisexual porn star Valentino meets new-in-town hustler Gary, there is an immediate attraction between the two. Valentino helps get Gary a job at a phone-sex company, and they become fast friends and lovers, but tension threatens their relationship when Gary and Valentino's friend Mary becomes involved. When Valentino finds out he is dying and Mary is going to have his child, the three must work through hard times together.

Between Complete and Incomplete

Between Complete and Incomplete

2021

The film follows Minho, a young asexual man, as he and a gay couple take their polyamorous relationship to the next level by moving in together.

3 On a Bed

3 On a Bed

2012

In Kolkata, three art college graduates named Kapil, Debdutta and Padmini decide to live together and share their love for each other equally.

Women & Sometimes Men

Women & Sometimes Men

2017

Sara is in crisis. Engaged for one day, she decides to call off her marriage. Quirky, beautiful, and tender, she is working on being bold. Having had a short relationship with a woman in college, Sara seeks that feeling again. How can she have a woman’s touch without giving up men entirely? This question launches Sara on a bittersweet journey filled with self discovery, sexual awakening, beautiful women and sometimes men.

First Blush

First Blush

2020

Nena and Drew are a young, happy-ish married couple whose relationship is thrown off its axis when they meet Olivia. The trio's attraction to each other is undeniable, but when they become romantically involved, they struggle to navigate the complications of a polyamorous relationship. The three push each other's boundaries to the limits as they discover painful truths about who they are, what they want, and how to love in turbulent times.

Straight for the Heart

Straight for the Heart

1988

Pierre is a Montreal photojournalist who returns from Nicaragua to find that his ten-year menage a trois is over. Haunted by his mid-life crisis, he becomes obsessed with trying to find out why his two lovers, Sarah and David, have left him.

The Substitute Wife

The Substitute Wife

1994

In Nebraska, in pioneer days, a woman who knows she is going to die asks a prostitute to replace her with her husband and four children in order to make it possible for them to keep their family farm.

Angels of Sex

Angels of Sex

2012

Carla and Bruno believe they have answers for everything until Rai appears in their lives, an attractive and mysterious young who lives outsidethe rules. In this story about love and friendship, boundaries dissolve by the rhythm of funkyand break to offer a provocative, exciting and deeply touching vision about romantic relationships.

Rating

4.6/10

Mixed

12 votes

Movie Information

Original Title:

Willie & Phil

Status:

Released

Age Rating:

16

Language:

English

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Budget:

$5,500,000

Revenue:

$4,400,000

Production Companies:

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox