Character Relationship Map: Old Boyfriends

Characters

• Dianne (played by Talia Shire) — protagonist

  Dianne is a clinical psychologist facing an identity crisis and marital difficulties. She travels to reconnect with former partners, has affairs with Jeff and Wayne, humiliates Eric in retaliation for...

• Jeff (played by Richard Jordan) — protagonist

  Jeff is Dianne's college boyfriend and a documentary filmmaker producing a political campaign advertisement. He resumes a brief affair with Dianne after learning they are both married, then hires Art...

• Eric (played by John Belushi) — supporting

  Eric is Dianne's high school boyfriend, now running a formal-wear business and performing in a band at school dances and hotel lounges. After Dianne rejects his advances, she agrees to a sexual encoun...

• Wayne (played by Keith Carradine) — supporting

  Wayne is the younger brother of Dianne's first boyfriend, who was killed in Vietnam. He remains unemployed and isolated at home, emotionally damaged by the loss. Dianne offers help, but their sexual i...

• Dr. Hoffman (played by John Houseman) — supporting

  Dr. Hoffman is Wayne's psychiatrist at the hospital. After Dianne goes there following Wayne's re-hospitalization, Dr. Hoffman meets with her and condemns her for causing emotional distress and worsen...

• The Fisherman (played by Gerrit Graham) — supporting

  The Fisherman is the star of the political campaign advertisement being filmed by Jeff. He criticizes pollution caused by an opponent's policies and repeatedly flirts with Dianne at the production and...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Jeff → The Fisherman (Professional Associates) — They work together on the campaign advertisement.

  Jeff is making the documentary campaign ad, and The Fisherman is the star who delivers its political message.

• Dianne → The Fisherman (Romantic Unsuccessful Suitor) — He represents an immediate but rejected sexual advance during Dianne's first stop.

  The Fisherman flirts with Dianne on the advertising set and later attempts to seduce her at a bar, unsuccessfully.

• Wayne → Dr. Hoffman (Professional Psychiatrist And Patient) — Dr. Hoffman is responsible for addressing Wayne's psychological deterioration.

  After Wayne is re-hospitalized, Dianne meets with Dr. Hoffman, who is identified as Wayne's psychiatrist.

• Dianne → Wayne (Romantic Sexual Partners) — Their sexual involvement worsens Wayne's emotional condition.

  Dianne offers to help Wayne recover from his emotional trauma, but they become sexually involved.

• Dianne → Eric (Romantic Former Sweethearts) — Their former relationship is revisited through seduction and unresolved resentment.

  Eric is identified as Dianne's high school boyfriend. She seeks him out in Minneapolis and agrees to sleep with him after watching his shows.

• Dianne → Jeff (Romantic Former Lovers) — Their unresolved college romance becomes the central emotional thread of the film.

  Dianne travels to reconnect with Jeff, her college boyfriend. They have sex after meeting in Colorado and briefly resume their affair.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Dianne → Dr. Hoffman (Conflict Professional Adversaries) — Their encounter exposes the harm caused by Dianne's boundary-crossing intervention.

  Dr. Hoffman condemns Dianne for inflicting emotional distress on Wayne after his re-hospitalization.

Story Analysis

A troubled psychologist revisits former relationships, confronts unresolved harm, and ultimately returns to the relationship that remains emotionally central.

Plot Progression

1. Leaving A Troubled Marriage — Dianne struggles with an identity crisis and an unstable marriage. She begins a road trip to reconnect with former boyfriends and search for a clearer sense of herself.
2. Colorado's Dangerous Nostalgia — Dianne reunites with Jeff on a documentary set and rejects The Fisherman's advances. She and Jeff begin a brief affair, but her false story about her husband creates a deeper rupture.
3. Truth Pursues The Past — Jeff searches for Dianne and discovers that her husband is alive. In Minneapolis, Dianne reconnects with Eric and turns their shared sexual history into an act of revenge.
4. A Cure That Causes Harm — Dianne travels to a small town and learns that her first boyfriend died in Vietnam. She tries to help Wayne but becomes sexually involved with him, worsening his psychological condition.
5. Confrontation And Reunion — Dr. Hoffman condemns Dianne after Wayne is re-hospitalized. Jeff confronts Dianne at home, and the two reunite as a couple.