Cactus Flower finds Walter Matthau as successful Park Avenue dentist and part time roue who loves chasing the young women. One has to remember this was 1969 the height of the era of free love and many a middle aged man was going into a second bout of puberty. With Matthau though he never left the first one.
If people get too interested in a permanent relationship he's invented a fictional wife and 3 kids who just won't let him go. Right now he's seeing Goldie Hawn who is your typical 60s product who works in a record store back when people bought those vinyl 45s and long playing albums.
But right in his own office there's loyal and efficient Ingrid Bergman who is his dental assistant. One of those people who just blend into the wallpaper, you just assume their presence.
My biggest problem with Cactus Flower is that Bergman seeing what a complete rat Matthau is in his personal life why she wants him is beyond me. But the heart always has its own reasons.
In any event when Hawn starts pressing him Matthau has Bergman pretend to be his wife. After that everyone starts making assumptions about everyone else.
This was Ingrid Bergman's first film in Hollywood since the notorious scandal with Roberto Rosellini back in 1949. She takes over from fellow movie icon Lauren Bacall who did the Broadway play from 1965 to 1968 with Barry Nelson and Brenda Vaccaro. She turns out to have quite the flair for comedy which was rarely used.
Matthau is Matthau. Imagine Whiplash Willie Gingrich in a white dental outfit and you have Walter's character.
The real surprise here is Goldie Hawn who certainly did have a flair for comedy as shown by her time on Rowan&Martin's Laugh-In during that period. Her stint there won her the part of the record store clerk and she got an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and the start of a successful big screen career.
The acting is great of course. For me I think the story would have worked better if Matthau got some comeuppance.
He sure didn't deserve Ingrid and Ingrid deserved better.
If people get too interested in a permanent relationship he's invented a fictional wife and 3 kids who just won't let him go. Right now he's seeing Goldie Hawn who is your typical 60s product who works in a record store back when people bought those vinyl 45s and long playing albums.
But right in his own office there's loyal and efficient Ingrid Bergman who is his dental assistant. One of those people who just blend into the wallpaper, you just assume their presence.
My biggest problem with Cactus Flower is that Bergman seeing what a complete rat Matthau is in his personal life why she wants him is beyond me. But the heart always has its own reasons.
In any event when Hawn starts pressing him Matthau has Bergman pretend to be his wife. After that everyone starts making assumptions about everyone else.
This was Ingrid Bergman's first film in Hollywood since the notorious scandal with Roberto Rosellini back in 1949. She takes over from fellow movie icon Lauren Bacall who did the Broadway play from 1965 to 1968 with Barry Nelson and Brenda Vaccaro. She turns out to have quite the flair for comedy which was rarely used.
Matthau is Matthau. Imagine Whiplash Willie Gingrich in a white dental outfit and you have Walter's character.
The real surprise here is Goldie Hawn who certainly did have a flair for comedy as shown by her time on Rowan&Martin's Laugh-In during that period. Her stint there won her the part of the record store clerk and she got an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and the start of a successful big screen career.
The acting is great of course. For me I think the story would have worked better if Matthau got some comeuppance.
He sure didn't deserve Ingrid and Ingrid deserved better.