Teringer
An Exercise In Nonsense
Skyler
Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.
Cassandra
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
dougdoepke
Plot-- Having neither money nor feelings, an aging wastrel better figure out how to get money quickly or he's in big trouble. Thanks to his quick thinking manservant, he looks to marry a rich woman. Soon he settles on a lonely, inept young woman who specializes in both botany and ruining rugs. So what will happen now.Well, I guess the movie's a comedy thanks mainly to May's touchingly clumsy funny girl. Still, it's a hard movie to get a handle on. Matthau's coldly calculating fortune hunter hardly cracks a smile the whole time, even in social situations. Between the two, they're hardly a promising comedy mix. Yet, the mix works even as Graham (Matthau) pores over a poisoning book on his wedding night, while poor Lowell (May) can't even get her gown on straight. No, the movie may not be a knee-slapper, but it is unusually charming in its own way. In fact, May manages to make her character one of the most uniquely winning that I've had the good luck to see. Then too, casting the familiar faces of Coco and Weston conveys a hint of tongue in cheek even as they play a couple of mean guys.The ending is appropriate as the movie's title suggests. At the same time we can't be sure what the emotionally destitute Graham will do. After all, he wants status, but without the responsibilities.Apparently, May was the creative hand (writer and director) behind this unusual comedy-drama. Too bad she was also behind the monumental flop Ishtar which appears to have slowed her promising movie career. No, the movie may not be a knee-slapper, but it is humorously different. Thanks to May, we're left with a memorable portrayal that I'll think of every time I check the carbon on my car's cylinders.
thejcowboy22
June 1971: My Maternal Grandfather"Abe"passed away at the age of 84 due to blocked arteries. This was the first death I experience in my immediate family. My Grandparents would travel from New Jersey via public transportation and spend weekends at my home on Long Island. There would be no more visits for my Grandpa from this day on as I was going to witness my first funeral and burial. One of my talents is geography and I loved to read road maps . I was; and still a master of the roads and directions in the New York City area. I would constantly drive with my Father around the boroughs,counties as he ran a service business. I basically had a knowledge of the roadways and thoroughfares in and around New York. I came home from school on a Tuesday afternoon. I knew something was wrong when I came into an untidy house and my Mom wasn't around. A few moments later My mother pulls into the driveway with her niece from New Jersey as my Mom gave a distant look as if she was looking through me telling me simply that Grandpa Died . I'm part of a large family so we needed two cars to get to the funeral on time for Wednesday's memorial service from Long Island to Paterson, New Jersey at 10 AM sharp! Moreover my Father appointed me the navigator and make two stops to pick up his Uncles. My Parents went in one car and the second car was to be driven by my sister Elaine who just received her licence. Nervous and apprehensive were an understatement as my sisters and I left from My father's office in Ozone Park heading to Manhattan to pick up my colorful and argumentative Great Uncles . With my expertise we dodged traffic as we rode through unsavory neighborhoods to Manhattan arriving to the Uncle's respective high rise apartments. Then forged onward for New Jersey Via a construction site and a pier which was mistaken for an on ramp for the West Side Highway. On the way over, the two crusty combatants argued which Walter Matthau movie was better? Plaza Suite or A New Leaf? A New leaf was written by Jack Ritchie and Elaine May. Henry Graham (Walter Matthau) Middle aged playboy complete with crash helmet has a problem with his sports car. Too much carbon on the valves. Henry has a bigger problem, notified by his accountant, (William Redfield), Henry is running out of money and is weeks away from bankruptcy. Reminded constantly by his deadpan gentlemen's gentleman Harold (George Rose) who in my opinion has all the funny lines in this off-beat comedy. Henry can't bear the thought of being poor so he contemplates suicide but instead chooses a fate much worse. MARRIAGE!! With little time and funds running low, Henry scours the upper high brow circles of the wealthy and comes across a clumsy near sighted woman who has a knack for spilling tea on expensive rugs. Enter the wealthy available botanist who strongly believes in the organic method, Henrietta Lowell (Elaine May). Henry defends Henrietta to the indignant hostess and works his phony desperate shtick on the unsuspecting millionaire as Henry sees dollar signs all over the crumb laden Henrietta. Henry discovers a network of household servants that are robbing her blind. A housekeeper Mrs. Traggert played by a much younger Doris Roberts who has no idea who she's dealing with as Henry waist no time in letting her go. Jack Weston plays the fraudulent unscrupulous attorney Andy McPherson who handles Henrietta estate plus over pays the help. Henry takes charge of her affairs but Henry isn't looking for love or companionship. The truth is Henry finds Henrietta down right detestable or as he called her feral. Well written story with great timing by the players. Elaine May's direction of James Coco as the avaricious tight wad Uncle Harry and Jack Weston's desperation and crying is comical. Elaine May's use of physical comedy is a sight to behold . Putting on a negligee is a project . So sit back with a Mogen-David extra heavy Malaga cooler as the Graham's discover more than a new leaf. Oh by the way, My Sisters, Uncles and Yours Truly made it to the funeral on time!
richwgriffin-227-176635
Since others have recounted the wonderful plot (shades of Kind Hearts and Coronets, but with only one intended "victim"), and others have mentioned how brilliant Walter Matthau's comic performance is, I would like to add how amazing and brilliant Elaine May's zany performance is. She wrote, directed, and was the female star of the movie, in a time when only a few men ever wore so many hats.This movie is SO worth watching. It took a little time for me to settle in to the odd unusual rhythms - it's almost a half an hour before Ms. May appears at the tea party and turns the film upside down.The little girl who is "touching things" at the wedding is priceless. The loafers who are cheating Henrietta, her lawyer (Jack Weston in a comic tour-de-force), so many funny lines, situations, and laughs - the odd thing is the affection that builds between Henry and Henrietta WORKS. Not sure if the 3 hour May version would be better or even as good - perhaps we will never know, but this cut of the film is near perfect and so worth watching! I wish Elaine May had made more movies; her voice was so unique and enchanting. I am one of the few people in this world who loves "Ishtar", and of course "The Heartbreak Kid" is a total gem - I haven't seen "Mikey & Nicky" unfortunately, but would love to see it. She scored as an actress many times, esp. in Woody Allen's "Small Time Crooks" (the first funny half of the movie in particular).If you get a chance to see this movie, give it a chance - it's worth the time and effort to find it!
moonspinner55
After burning through his trust fund, New York City playboy Walter Matthau must find a wealthy woman to marry or else lose everything, including his dignity; Elaine May (who also directed and adapted the screenplay from a short story by Jack Ritchie) is Matthau's target--a rich, klutzy plain-Jane botanist and bleeding heart. Not especially sharp (or satiric where it needed to be), but nevertheless a lot of fun. Matthau scores some big laughs; when he suddenly takes charge and fires May's thieving household staff, Matthau is comically forceful (a superb mixture which suits him). He even manages to make some of the lesser scenes (particularly a camping trip near the finish) amusing. May is sweetly frazzled and gives herself some good lines, yet she appears to understand this is Walter's movie and so allows him room to run the gamut from sneaky conniver to protective husband. The editing is noticeably ragged, with some scenes cut off too quickly and James Coco's role (as Matthau's uncle) amounting to little more than a cameo. However, when May gets her timing right and relies on the smart dialogue rather than the somewhat awkward physical comedy, the results are very appealing. **1/2 from ****
