User Reviews

This film though artsy ,was , well, you guessed it redundant. Growing up as a middle man for a brothel and being introduced to sex from a countess at the ripe old age of 11 or so, Andres becomes a stud, not gigolo , for sex starved housewives, between 30 and 40 or so. Taking place in Hungary during mid century, this film even seemed that much more far fetched. Andres , not having luck with teens his own age , ventures for older women. Going through women like the rest of the male population goes through underwear, this film did not have much of a point. Surely women can not be as pathetic as they were in this film? The cheesy lines were as ridiculous as the revolving door of a plot, that just kept going around and around. In the one scene, where a stupid line did not work, conveniently there was an attractive older lady, dining alone,ahemmmm, at another table that somehow saved the day for Andres. Too contrived, too predictable and well too soft porn. From a male perspective, lots of lovely visuals, but not much else going. Basically the open ending , just presumed more of the same, with nothing settled with Andres as far as his conscience or simply just becoming a mature adult. Another film, unlikable characters and a garbage pail.

In Praise of Older Women is based of an almost autobiagraphical novel of Stephen Vizinczey. Born in Hungary in 1933.- It's the story of a young man who have sex with elder women, because he has no luck with women of his age.-

This version was directed by George Kaczender and the cinematography of Miklós Lente.-

There is another version of this book called En brazos de una mujer mayor in 1997. An Spanish version with Faye Dunnaway as the Countess, Juan Diego Botto as the main hero and Joanna Pacula as the hero first love.- This is only the first half of this movie and is a complete mess. For example the novel and this movie is about a guy who scapes from communist Hungary, while the Spanish version is a communist who scapes from Franco, Not only but also the first half of the spanish remake is this movie first 5 minutes.-

I guess is important to give this introduction, because many people who criticed this, haven't seen the other awful version.

I haven't read the book, so probably intellectual elements were removed (as someone post before) in search of the the cheesy dialogue, funny situations, the softporn scenes. But this is definitive superior in almost every element than the Spanish Remake.-

A kid named Andras (Ian Tracey) is an hungarian refugee has sex with a Countess (Monique Lepage) in 1945, however he had no more sex in the next six year. Now 18 in 1951 Andras (Tom Berenger) tried to had sex with Julika a girl around his age, but he failed in their first encounter, after that he fell in love and have sex with his tutor and neighboard Maya (sexy Oscar Nominee Karen Black), and finally learn about sex. Maya in her late 30s had an open marriage, then he had sex with Maya's best friend, then he try to seduce another girl of his age. A sexy cabaret singer (Nikita's Alberta Watson), however she wants to remain virgin until marriage, so frustated Andras try to recovered Maya but she refuses his advances.

5 years later in 1956 he have another relationship with a 12 year older woman Bobbie, she is even more sophistical woman, and encourage in his philosophy studies, both are against the communist regime, and at the end help him to scape from Hungary. He flew to Canada.

Now in 1959, with 26 (more like Berenger age) he had another relationship with an older woman named Paula (Alexandra Stewart, with the best naked body), she is french, and he learns about the 69. He has an open relationship with her, so he had no trouble in trying to seduce another woman in her 30s . With luck with elder women, Ann MacDonald (Helen Shaver who in real life was younger than Berenger), who is seduced but refuse to have sex with him, because she still faithfull to her idiot husband. 4 years laterm Ann tries to seduce Andras, they go to bed, but she refuse to have sex at the last seccond.

Andras had a concies crisis after it. Because he is 30, and a women in her 30s refused him, but in the elevator he met the love of his life, the girl (also in her 30s) who would be married and the movie end here.

The author met his wife in 1963 Gloria, who was divorcee and 6 year older, they married and were happily married until her deceaced in 2020.-

This is a funny commedy, with lot of sex scenes, several full frontal nudes ones. And having then respected actresses like Karen Black or Susan Strasberg doing this, I guess was a kind of kinky and controversial.- The movie was a hit during the Toronto Film festival, for the sex scenes, that are many, steamy and realistic. Today with political correction is impossible to make a movie like this.- The movie is a delight commedy with cheese quotes, but I guess they came from the book.

Tom Berenger, who was in his last 20s, was too old and Zero Innocent for the first 3/4 of the movie. It's started his scenes at 18 and end at 30. Someone who was younger and had a more innocent face should be a better option.

However after he arrived to Canada he is suitable for the role, and his last acting scenes are great, he is a seductor, and he become a sex symbol in the 80s. His chemestry with MacDonald is great.-

However are Karen Black and Susan Strasberg the ones who really shines here. There were still A stars at the late 70s, and their roles are more juicy than big budget disaster films. The actresses knew this and stick their teeth on the film.

It's awkward that the awarded actresses in the Canadian Film Award were Shaver, Watson and Lightstone. That don't get me wrong, these three specially Shaver were great who won in leading despite the fact she appears less than ten minutes in the screen. So I guess that Black and Strasberg were omitted for being American and Hollywood actress.- A pitty because these women were incredible here, and (except Black from Robert Altman Films)never had more opportunities to share their talent, and were reduced for B or C movies.-

This is much more than just a young buck (Tom Berenger) seducing and dumping a bunch of sophisticated older women. It's the story of a series of time passing by in a classic era of romance yet a troubled time socially and politically. It's the study of a basically insecure young man who can't relate to women his own age (having tried to seduce someone his age and failed) and ends up satisfying series of sophisticated older women more deserving than what they have with their husbands or lovers their own age, unable to accept the fact when these relationships come to an end.

The very handsome and sexy Barringer certainly is desirable, and you can see why certificated Karen Black takes him on as a lover, yet unable to deal with it when she find him having been seduced by a friend (the outrageous Marilyn Lightstone), ultimately dumping him and leaving him on the steps in tears. His next rendezvous is with an avant-garde artist (Alberta Watson) which doesn't lead to the relationship being consummated, and then later to musician Susan Strasberg, which takes place during some rebellious times in communist Russia.

Berenger finally ends up in Montreal a few years later, finding love once again with a French beauty, Alexandra Stewart. He's still dashing as he gets older, but just as immature, trying the same seduction line that he had years before. Stewart is putty in barringer's hands, and it's in this sequence where you get to almost see him completely in the buff. This is definitely a film divided into chapters, and the lack of continuity Is not an issue because of the way you get to view history.

For me, Lightstone made the biggest impression, her obviously jealous matron setting her sights on Berenger, obviously realizing she'll never have him for the long-term so she might as well have him for a little bit of fun. Black and Strasberg also give good performances, and Watson is a cabaret artist that Christopher Isherwood would have been proud to write about. So while there isn't a really strong story, the way everything is developed makes it an enjoyable film, and each of these older women indeed did deserve some praise.