"I want a divorce!" How many times have these words been spoken in haste and unthinking anger? For divorcing couple Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday, it's going to be a bitter one, and neither party will be able to get the other one off their mind. They each have flashbacks to happier times, alternating between smiling and scowling as they remember the past and what brought them to this point in their lives.
A sudden chance encounter on the mambo dance floor ignites a spark again as they take over the floor with a dance that is both hysterically funny and sexy. There's interference by Lemmon's pal Jack Carson and her mother, with Lemmon distracted by the sultry but over analyzing Kim Novak, only on occasion utilizing that breathy speech pattern that became her trademark. It's a great way to get a film acting career off the ground.
Thus is an adult comedy, one I didn't appreciate when I was in my 20's, but years later, seems smart and really on the money when it comes to describing adult relationships. Only four years older than Lemon, Ms. Holliday has a youthful quality that makes her seem ageless. Lemmon is a perfect leading man for her. It is a shame that they only made two films together. There's no "Phffft!" to their pairing.
A sudden chance encounter on the mambo dance floor ignites a spark again as they take over the floor with a dance that is both hysterically funny and sexy. There's interference by Lemmon's pal Jack Carson and her mother, with Lemmon distracted by the sultry but over analyzing Kim Novak, only on occasion utilizing that breathy speech pattern that became her trademark. It's a great way to get a film acting career off the ground.
Thus is an adult comedy, one I didn't appreciate when I was in my 20's, but years later, seems smart and really on the money when it comes to describing adult relationships. Only four years older than Lemon, Ms. Holliday has a youthful quality that makes her seem ageless. Lemmon is a perfect leading man for her. It is a shame that they only made two films together. There's no "Phffft!" to their pairing.