Review of Two for the Seesaw

A film adaptation of the popular Broadway play of the same title, with different players. A middle-aged lawyer (Robert Mitchum, as Jerry), from the Midwest, and a mid-twenties rootless Greenwich Village woman(Shirley McLaine, as Gittel) somehow wind up in Gittel's apartment, after Jerry's haltering attempts to establish a connection. Gittel takes pity on Jerry, who owns up to being practically broke, sleeping with bedbugs, rather than a new dream girl to replace his divorcing wife of 12 years. She offers her bed(without her) for the night, after a bath. This was a very risky and unlikely move on Gittel's part. However, they soon establish some rapport, despite their very different backgrounds, ages, and personalities. Looks like we may be set up for a reluctant buddy comedy. But, it's not to be. While the layed back Gittel has potential for making humor, the staid Jerry doesn't seem to have one funny bone in his body, and retains his formal demeaner, for the most part.........Gittel is fun to watch and listen to before and after meeting Jerry, during the first hour. But, when things get more serious ,during the second hour, she's not nearly as much fun, and Jerry is still no fun..........Things gradually heat up a bit romantically, and they even manage a couple of hard kisses, with hugs. But, this being the early '60s, no hint of going further. Jerry becomes more confident of his new identity has he begins to plug into the NYC lawyer scene. However, Gittel, who claims being a dancer as her outside identity, seems none too diligent in practicing it. Nonetheless, after he gains some financial security, Jerry buys her a place where she can practice her dancing. However, when Jerry finds out that Gittel spent the evening with a sometimes boyfriend, he slaps her hard on her cheek, knocking her down, based on the implicit assumption that he now was her exclusive romantic interest. Later, when Gittel gets Jerry to admit that he has known for 2 weeks that his wife obtained a divorce, without telling Gittel, she returns the 'favor', doubly, slapping him on both cheeks. This is the signal that their affair is soon coming to an end. Gittel has gotten the impression that Jerry is still somewhat emotionally tied to his wife, and doesn't want divided loyalty by Jerry............I have to say that I believe that Mitchum, with his largely, deadpan demeaner here, was badly miscast. I think Paul Newman, for instance, would have made a much more interesting Jerry, besides being 8 years younger than Mitchum, thus somewhat closing the age gap. Sometimes opposites attract, at least at first. But, in this case, such attraction wasn't strong enough to last ...........The relationship between Jerry and Gittel much reminds me of the way my wife and I met. I was in my mid-forties, as was Mitchum. My future wife was 25,,as was Shirley. I had recently flown from the US to her country, on the other side of the globe. She is ethnically a SE Asian, while I am a Caucasian. Fortunately, she spoke a bit of English, and communicated that she wanted to have a western husband and live somewhere in the West. It didn't take too many days, while traveling around Bali, to figure out that we were meant for each other. Unlike Mitchum, I was not formal and reserved, and she was also very open. I also differed from Jerry in that I was not hamstrung by an impending divorce. We soon married, and are still happily together now 30 years later. Now, she mostly supports me, rather than I supporting her, as in the beginning. Once again, this demonstrates that if you have 2 'right' people of very different ages and cultures, there is a good chance they can make a successful marriage.