Kristy McNichol stars in Just the Way You Are as Susan Berlanger, an accomplished flutist who is highly self-conscious about a leg brace she wears. Although a pleasant stockbroker (Timothy Daly) is prepared to marry her and she has a one night stand with another fellow (Robert Carradine), Susan still has trouble loving herself.
After giving a concert in Paris, she comes up with a nifty idea that will help her enjoy a vacation at a ski resort. Susan convinces a doctor to put her leg in a cast — thus disguising her physical disability. During the holiday, she is wooed by a handsome skier (Patrick Cassidy) and then falls in love with Peter (Michael Ontkean), a veteran photographer. Realizing his adoration for her, she is finally able to love herself and, through the example set by Francois (Andre Dussolier), a one-legged ski entrepreneur, Susan finally realizes that her disability need not be an impediment of love.
Just the Way You Are is carried by the zest and charm of Kristy McNichol. The film's uneasy blend of comedy and serous comment on the trials and tribulations of physically disabled people doesn't quite mesh. Nonetheless, this drama about one young woman's quest for love — both of self and others — is sure to find an audience beyond those attracted by the ads accenting romance during the holiday in the French Alps.