Customer Reviews

Cactus Flower

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Peace and love, but not quite this much. Romantic comedy "Cactus Flower" is flirty, frothy and very amusing (not to mention it's nice to see a gal in her fifties shown as being attractive by the movie industry). It's predictable and lacking in twists, but it's entertaining by itself.

Bachelor dentist Julian Winston (Walter Matthau) met the ditzy but sweet Toni (Goldie Hawn) a year ago, but to avoid the looming threat of commitment, he claimed he was married with three kids. But Toni tries to commit suicide -- a faulty attempt botched by her attractive playwright neighbor Igor (Rick Lenz). When Julian learns of it, he decides to marry her, and pretends that he's getting a divorce from the wife he doesn't have. Small problem: Toni wants to meet her personally.

Julian tries to convince his straightlaced nurse Stephanie (Ingrid Bergman) to pretend to be his wife. At first she says no way, but then agrees (partly because she is secretly in love with him... of course). Except then Toni thinks that Stephanie is still in love with Julian, and that his kids will be traumatized by the divorce. So then Julian tries to recruit a fake boyfriend for his fake wife, to give an excuse for the fake divorce... and the web of nonexistant lovers starts to spread.

This film is a fun film, not a great film; it's froth, and pretends to be no more. In fact, I guessed the outcome of the movie (give or take a cactus and mink stole) within the first ten minutes. But getting there is half the fun. It's cute to see the little web of lies getting worse and worse, right down to the womanizing pal Harvey telling his idiot girlfriend that he's an agent for the CIA.

The trappings of "Cactus Flower" are a bit dated now -- the dancing, the store of vinyl records, the clothing, the hippie putting flowers on people's windshields. Fortunately, the script has aged pretty well if you know what "square" means. The cluelessness of Hawn's character starts to grate on the nerves (surely NO ONE can be this dim), but it has some funny dialogue.

Ingrid Bergman usually got stuck in dramatic, often melancholy roles, but here she gets to bust loose with plenty of acid-tongued barbs, the "dentist" dance, not to mention a funny, sexy dance with Igor and a mink stole. Matthau does an excellent job as the increasingly uptight, habitual liar Julian, whom we like despite his jerkishness. Hawn is merely okay; she spends a little too much time biting her lip and looking fawnish, and Lenz is extremely funny, charming and quite underrated.

The witty repartee and amusingly predictable plotline make this a fun watch, if you're in the mood for something light and bizarrely romantic. Cute and entertaining.

Will established dentist Julian Winston (Walter Mathau) end up with Toni (Goldie Hawn), his young and goofy mistress or his assistant and fake 'wife' Stephanie (Ingrid Bergman), solid, smart and secretly in love with her boss?

This is one of my family's most beloved movies. Clever and funny, with a cast that shines in every scene. I agree with other reviewers that Ingrid Bergman's comedic timing is superb! And Goldie Hawn is so very young in it, and already a high-class performance that won her an award.

Being an avid movie and music fan, I'm always happy to find hidden gems in either artform that can take me by surprise. I will also say that on most occasions I usually tend to agree with the critics in their attitudes and assertions. However, this was not such a case. When I recently stumbled upon this movie, I had never heard of it; the cast immediately intrigued me, especially Ingrid Bergman (in a 60's comedy?!) I did a little research and was dissappointed to see that most of the reviews of this film were either lukewarm or negative, with most of the complaints being made about the "miscasting of Ingrid Bergman". Interesting enough, Goldie Hawn managed to win an Academy Award for her role...(was 1969 that bad a year for actresses?).

Anyway, I wasn't expecting much when I finally watched it, especially after reading Leonard Maltin's review. However, I quickly found myself thouroughly enjoying the scenarios unfolding. Lighthearted, yes...but very fun. It is very much in line with the Neil Simon plays/film of the era, having also been derived from a Broadway play. I have to say that good old Leonard is wrong on this one, as are many other critcs. The most astonishing error is the claim that Ingrid Bergman was miscast and has no comedic timing. She was a riot to watch in a role like this; I'll say the best moments in the film are hers. To my eyes, Bergman appears to be having a blast with this role and it is quite apparent. At this point in her career, her mid 50's, it is wholly enjoyable to see the still beautiful Bergman having some lighthearted, carefree fun.
I am surprised that the Academy chose to honor Goldie Hawn for her performance. I found her to be a tad too cooky, even for a '60's go-go girl. Walter Matthau, however, plays the role of a sneaky dentist quite well and is fully enjoyable.
Apart from the actors' performances, I did also enjoy the look and feel of the film. While many films from the 60's and 70's appear, to me, to be hopelessly dated in both of these aspects, I found that the "1969" in this film looked great. It was actually very appealing...oranges,browns, flowers, and miniskirts, et.al.
All in all, a very satisfying, simple little romp. Look folks, I'm not saying this is a masterpiece by any stretch, but I definately found this worthy seeing. The DVD has no extras to speak of...just a trailer of the film, as well as trailers for two other completely unrelated film (?) However, the transfer of the film to DVD is surprisingly satisfying...colors are rich and vibrant, with minimal artifacts, film dirt/damage. Also, and thankfully, the Widescreen is anamorphic. Of course, there is the obligatory inclusion of the Standard (aka butchered)Version on the flipside of the disk, for those who haven't made the transition to the CORRECT way that is widescreen. (ok...so maybe that was a little unnecessary)
So if you've possibly not seen or heard of this film and are interested, don't listen to the critics on this one. Give it a try, it's a good time.

As other reviewers have said, Leonard Maltin is absolutely wrong about this film. The comedy is very tight and well timed. The dialogue is the wittiest of any movie I've seen from the era. It does tend a little toward one-liners, but it doesn't matter because it's fall-out-of-your-seat funny. Ingrid Bergman is divine in a role you would never have expected for her. The signs of the times are ubiquitous -- references to "the Pill," "hippies," "squares," etc., but the comedy is far from dated. The best aspect of the film is its unconventional plot. Romantic comedies are highly predictable as a class -- this one keeps you guessing. Puts even Neil Simon to shame. Highest recommendation.

I am serious ! What is going on ? I look at myself now , and do not recognise the guy in the mirrow ... He likes baseball and football ( American football ), he eats hotdogs and humburgers ... Who is he ? Have no idea ... but the worse part - he loved this movie , and he fell in love with Ingrim Bergman for her unbeliavable performance in it . Forget Walter Matthau , forget Goldie Hawn - they allways good ! But the way ms. Bergman rediscover for us the story of love ... when you not 15 anymore ... she really touched my hart .

It's just "rotten rotten rotten" what some dentists will do to keep from marrying a ditzy girlfriend. Julian (Walter Matthau) pretends to be married already so his truth loving girlfriend, Toni (Goldie Hawn) won't press him to marry her. When she attempts suicide, he realizes that he wants to marry her. Toni agrees only if she can meet the wife to prove that she is not a house/home wrecker. Julian comes up with a wife (Ingrid Bergman.) Toni can see that Julian's wife still loves him. Throw in the neighbor that only wares a towel, Igor Sullivan, Senor Sanchez (Vito Scotti,) a Mexican missile and a wild party. And that is where the fun begins.

This comedy is not thin. It has absolutely no sag, a good and actually believable storyline, likable and believable characters, great acting, and it's very funny. This is what they mean when they say they don't make comedies like this anymore. Written at a time when Hollywood did not presume that the audience only needed a display of bodily fluids and lame story lines to be satisfied.

The film demonstrates another point: the great comedic actors don't try to be funny. They just act. I don't know if Walter Mathau ever won an Oscar, but if he didn't he would be, like Cary Grant, one of the greatest actors never to have done so. He was not only a great comedy actor ("Cactus Flower", "Odd Couple" and "A New Leaf"), but could quite convincingly play a thug ("Strangers When We Meet") and a tough, no-nonsense cop ("The Laughing Policeman").

In this film, he's brilliant as always. With all respect to the new 20 million dollar a film generation, could Adam Sandler play the role of Julian Winston without simply playing, oh, Adam Sandler?

Ingrid Bergman is incredible. And by that, I mean incredibly sexy. You have no difficulty whatsoever seeing why Walter Mathau eventually picks her over a 21 year old Goldie Hawn. And you fully understand why the much younger man nuzzles her neck while dancing with her. While watching the film, I kept reminding myself that it had been made 25 years after "Casablanca" and yet there she was, still looking smashing.

So yeah, it's "dated". Were that more contemporary Hollywood comedies, maybe even one, were so dated.

The 1969 movie version of Abe Burrows' hit Broadway play "Cactus Flower" although a bit dated still has the ability to make me laugh. The stand out here is an impressive movie debut by Goldie Hawn (in the role of Toni - originated by Brenda Vaccaro on stage). Her cupie doll looks and sing songy voice give her character just the right naivete needed to pull off this role. Ingrid Bergman as Nurse Stephanie (played on stage by Lauren Bacall) is hilarious in a bit where she mocks the latest dance of the period by creating a new dance called..The Dentist! Walter Matthau holds his own as the philandering dentist who leads Toni into believing he's a married man with kids in order to avoid a more "serious" relationship with her. All-in-all a worthy movie version of a great but long-forgotten play.

I am not easily impressed with comedies; they have to be really good to catch my interest. There are only half a dozen I have considered classics, and this is one of them. The cast was perfectly chosen for their parts, the story was hilarious, the confirmed bachelor a quite common figure in the singles world I occupied when this movie came out, and the movement good.

So imagine my delight to learn that amazon.com has old movies available for sale, new and used, and that I have been able to begin buying many. The "Pink Panther" series, the first "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (wasn't as wild about the two following), "Tootsie," and Cactus "Flower" are on my list of best comedies.

P.S. Only one reviewer above didn't understand the plot or the choice of Ingrid Bergman. He might wish to view it again to "get it."

Goldie Hawn, in her movie debut, walked away with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for this wonderful movie. She stars with Ingrid Bergman and Walter Matthau.

CACTUS FLOWER is a sublime comedy of matchmaking and errors, played out by a tart cast that knows just how to play things.

Bergman is precious as Stephanie, the straight-laced receptionist/assistant of a womanising dentist (Walter Matthau) who is secretly in love with him. He has a ditzy girlfriend, Toni (Goldie Hawn) who wants to marry him. He is a confirmed bachelor and wishes to remain one, so he tells Toni he is married to Stephanie! Stephanie wants no part of the plan, but finds herself living out her fantasy of being married to the man of her dreams.

Very enjoyable comedy, with an intelligent script, one that you will really love!