I liked this when young but it means more to revisit in later years once you've you had more experience in relationships. So much was all too familiar, either personal or observed - young men chatting about what they can "get" out of women, passing various obstacles to get what they want, putting women on pedestals or treating them purely as sex objects, the hatred Jack Nicholson's character has for women, the rationalised abuse, in a way.
Some of this was electrically good - the fight between Nicholson and Ann Margret, the dialogues between Nicholson and Art Garfunkle.
The film is a triumph of casting, acting and directing (not that the other bits aren't good too). Jack Nicholson became a great but remember he was relatively new to stardom. Art Garfunkle, who is excellent as the passive, timid Sandy, was known as a singer (and remains mostly known as a singer). Candice Bergen and Ann Margret were both regarded as jokes; both are superb particularly Ann Margret in the more spectacular part, yelling, flashing her breasts, committing suicide and so on. Bergen's part is more tricky because you keep wondering why's she with Garfunkle and Nicholson. The Cynthia O'Neal part is maybe a little sketchy - she's with Garfunkle but wouldn't mind a shag with Nicholson and is mean about Ann Margret.
Mike Nichols' direction is perfect - clinical and full of insight. The original script is here. You can tell it was envisioned as a play - it's mostly two handers - but it has been rendered cinematically.
At times watching this I wondered how influential it had been for Woody Allen films. Allen always goes on about Bob Hope, Bergman and Fellini, but this felt like later Woody Allen - Husbands and Wives but also things like Annie Hall; even the music score with tracks like Mood Indigo was familiar.
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