Kidder starred in the Canadian comedic road movie "Heartaches" (1981), portraying a free-spirited woman who helps an acquaintance raise her child. Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" noted: "Nothing happens in "Heartaches" that isn't telegraphed 15 minutes ahead of time, but Miss Kidder and Miss Potts are good fun to watch, not because they convince you of the reality of their characters but because they handle their assignments with such unbridled, comic, actressy enthusiasm." She then starred opposite Richard Pryor in the comedy "Some Kind of Hero" (1982), about a Vietnam War veteran who attempts to re-assimilate into civilian life. While filming the picture, Kidder stated she "fell in love with Pryor in two seconds flat," and the two carried on a relationship during the production. Prior to this, Kidder was romantically linked to Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau in the early-1980s. In 1982, she appeared in a stage performance of "Bus Stop", playing Cherie opposite Tim Matheson as Bo, which was broadcast on HBO.