This Blake Edwards sex farce probably serves as his apology to his wife Julie Andrews for occasionally letting younger women catch his eye. It happens to all of us, unless we are somehow rich or famous. The younger women we still crave are just not into us older guys. But that's life. And it serves as a dilemma for Dudley Moore's George Webber character. His is a successful, yet undeniably aging composer who just turned 42. He seems to have a lot going for him including a wonderful girlfriend his age (Andrews), a fancy home in a swinging neighborhood, and a nice Rolls Royce. But one day while out on a drive, he catches the eye of a beautiful young bride-to-be on the way to her wedding. Webber then spends the majority of the film lusting after her.
This film is a bit uneven when you break it down, but more often than not it succeeds. The laughs here come from Dudley Moore doing John Ritter style physical comedy. I do believe the show Three's Company was popular back then. The story on the other hand moves a bit too slowly than you'd hope. The material here just doesn't warrant a two-hour running time. The script does throw in some surprises here and there, mostly after Moore has located the girl in Mexico. And there he learns that the gap in their ages is dwarfed by their gap in values. It was a nice revelation.
The acting is quite good here. Moore is delightful and his relationship with Andrews allows her to shine as well. Robert Webber takes a surprising turn as a gay songwriter partner of Moore's. The two seem to have the kind of relationship Bernie Taupin might have shared with Elton John. Its interesting to see what Brian Dennehy was up to before getting type-cast as the "macho man". Bo Derek wasn't the greatest actress, but she is a joy to behold in a physical sense. And she really gets very little screen time, anyway. Yes, the film looks quite dated, but the California of that time was infinitely more magical than the illegal immigrant and gang infested Kaleeforneea of today. All in all I'd say this film is worth about 7 of 10 stars.
The Hound.
This film is a bit uneven when you break it down, but more often than not it succeeds. The laughs here come from Dudley Moore doing John Ritter style physical comedy. I do believe the show Three's Company was popular back then. The story on the other hand moves a bit too slowly than you'd hope. The material here just doesn't warrant a two-hour running time. The script does throw in some surprises here and there, mostly after Moore has located the girl in Mexico. And there he learns that the gap in their ages is dwarfed by their gap in values. It was a nice revelation.
The acting is quite good here. Moore is delightful and his relationship with Andrews allows her to shine as well. Robert Webber takes a surprising turn as a gay songwriter partner of Moore's. The two seem to have the kind of relationship Bernie Taupin might have shared with Elton John. Its interesting to see what Brian Dennehy was up to before getting type-cast as the "macho man". Bo Derek wasn't the greatest actress, but she is a joy to behold in a physical sense. And she really gets very little screen time, anyway. Yes, the film looks quite dated, but the California of that time was infinitely more magical than the illegal immigrant and gang infested Kaleeforneea of today. All in all I'd say this film is worth about 7 of 10 stars.
The Hound.