By Tom Jicha | Sun-Sentinel

TNT's remake of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl is one of those projects that makes you feel instantly old. A kneejerk reaction might be, "Didn't they just do that?"

Actually, it was 27 years ago -- during the Carter administration -- when Richard Dreyfuss and Marcia Mason (then Mrs. Simon) starred in the big-screen version. The timelessly charming tale, about a couple of aspiring performers in Greenwich Village who can't stand each other until they fall in love, has aged well. Simon, an executive producer of the TNT adaptation of his work, joked he had to make only one significant change to reflect the contemporary scene: The characters carry cell phones.

Director Richard Benjamin, who has a cameo in the film, also made only a minor tweak attuned to the times. "Attention spans are shorter today, so I kept everything moving. We have equipment today that is light. We can move the camera and do stuff that produces a kind of energy."

Jeff Daniels and Patricia Heaton capably assume the roles originated by Dreyfuss, who won an Oscar, and Mason, who was nominated for one. They might not have the depth of the original stars, but the script, essentially an elongated sitcom, is not out of their range.

Heaton is Paula McFadden, a Broadway dancer who, at 36, has effectively grown too old for the highly competitive, youth-dominated profession. No matter -- her actor boyfriend Tony has gotten his big break, a TV movie. He is on the verge of moving Paula and her precocious 10-year-old, Lucy, with him to California.

Paula, who has been oft-burned at love, gets scorched again. She returns home to find a note that Tony was pitched a bigger role in a European production, and his new plans do not involve Paula and Lucy.

Just when it seems things couldn't get worse for the abandoned females, they do. Another would-be actor, Elliot Garfield, shows up with the news that before Tony left, he sublet the apartment to him. Paula claims squatters rights but a receipt for three months' rent gives Elliot the upper hand. Fortunately, he's a decent enough guy not to immediately put Paula and Lucy out on the street. Unfortunately, he's a decent guy with a lot of odd foibles. He plays his guitar well into the night -- in the nude -- and begins his morning routine with a medley of chants. He's also a health nut.

All his quirks, grating as they might be, are superfluous: After all Paula has been through, just the fact that Elliot is an actor is sufficient to make him persona non grata.

Lucy, played by soda commercial discovery Hallie Kate Eisenberg, is more amenable. She finds a lot to like about their new roommate. "He reminds me of a dog nobody wants," Lucy says, trying to get her mother to warm to the newcomer. Elliot returns the favor by taking to the youngster, who is mature way beyond her years. "You were born 26," he quips.

Alas, Paula is too wary to let down her guard. Lucy takes on the major chore of playing peacemaker in the house, with a minor in matchmaking.

Even if this weren't a remake of a familiar tale, it is obvious where this story is headed. Simon's trademark repartee and the stars' endearing chemistry make it an enjoyable journey definitely worth taking at least once every 27 years.