I had been a little down on Walter Matthau at some point not too long ago, but with performances in films like this one and Charley Varrick, he's surely proved himself for all time. Henry Graham (Matthau) is such an obnoxious, condescending egotist that he is hilarious to watch in action. As his trust fund has just run out, (which William Redfield has some trouble explaining to him) Henry must find a quick source of income to allow him to maintain his posh lifestyle. His solution- borrow $50,000 from his uncle and quickly court and marry a wealthy woman or lose all his worldly possessions. That being set in motion, Matthau and Elaine May collide (literally) at a social gathering. From there on out Matthau zeroes in on his prey ( May's clumsy botanist widow) and acts as swiftly and smoothly as possible. This tale of offbeat romance is certainly worth a look and is a great showcase for both May and Matthau.
Review of A New Leaf
