The success of Pillow Talk in 1959 ushered in a new era of sophisticated comedies, sexier than the ones of the 40s and usually set in upscale Manhattan. Many of these were actually more clever than funny (mostly because they tried to be tasteful and who really wants that in a farce?). This one still stands up today, and to repeated viewings.
Bachelor and successful cartoonist Jack Lemmon gets drunk at a stag party and inadvertently marries beautiful Virna Lisi, who then proceeds to turn him into the classic emasculated husband at the urging of her 'well-meaning' female friends. His response is to use his cartoon strip to play out a fantasy murder. Things get complicated when the wife disappears and everybody thinks he did her in for real!
Typical for the genre, the central situation is pretty far-fetched. Anybody who finds himself accidentally married to Virna Lisi should invest in lottery tickets, because he's on a lucky streak. And Lemmon's attachment to his New York bachelor lifestyle seems a bit quaint and dated when viewed from the post-sexual revolution world.
Yet, the actors sell the contrived story well, with Terry Thomas being especially fun in the role of a rather misogynistic butler who eggs on Lemmon's murder fantasy. And to be fair the story line is well-worked out as a comedy farce, albeit along 60s sit-com lines. Ultimately it all works because it's just plain funny, with lots of witty material in evidence, especially during Lemmon's murder trial at the end, where he manages to put women and the institution of marriage on trial with him. Recommended.
Bachelor and successful cartoonist Jack Lemmon gets drunk at a stag party and inadvertently marries beautiful Virna Lisi, who then proceeds to turn him into the classic emasculated husband at the urging of her 'well-meaning' female friends. His response is to use his cartoon strip to play out a fantasy murder. Things get complicated when the wife disappears and everybody thinks he did her in for real!
Typical for the genre, the central situation is pretty far-fetched. Anybody who finds himself accidentally married to Virna Lisi should invest in lottery tickets, because he's on a lucky streak. And Lemmon's attachment to his New York bachelor lifestyle seems a bit quaint and dated when viewed from the post-sexual revolution world.
Yet, the actors sell the contrived story well, with Terry Thomas being especially fun in the role of a rather misogynistic butler who eggs on Lemmon's murder fantasy. And to be fair the story line is well-worked out as a comedy farce, albeit along 60s sit-com lines. Ultimately it all works because it's just plain funny, with lots of witty material in evidence, especially during Lemmon's murder trial at the end, where he manages to put women and the institution of marriage on trial with him. Recommended.