A dentist, Walther Matthau, is determined not to marry his girl friend, Goldie Hawn, so as an excuse he invents for himself a wife and three children. Hawn, however, wants marriage and one thing leads to another until Matthau must enlist his prim and prudish dental assistant, Ingrid Bergman, to play the part of his fictional wife. Other characters come and go -- the young artist next door who is Matthau's rival for Hawn; Jack Weston as Matthau's friend who simply won't pay his dental bills; Vito Scotti as the lecherous Latin who would love to lay hands on Bergman if only she didn't loathe him.
It ought to be funnier than it is. The dialog sounds as if it were meant to be shocking, but I don't know who would have been shocked, even in 1969. Maybe some church-goers in Pella, Iowa.
I'll give you the two cutest moments. (1) Matthau distractedly deals with Bergman, not noticing that she's wearing a mink he'd earlier given to Hawn, and then returns to his office. It takes a full minute for the mink to sink in. Delayed double takes are usually funny and this one is as good as any. (2) Matthau is talking to Bergman about his friendship with Jack Weston. "Listen, I can't ask Harvey to pay his bill. We've been close for years. He's a good friend. I just can't do it -- you do it." Aside from that it's all rather forced. It's like watching a Rock Hudson - Doris Day comedy without the clever lines and situations. The strenuous effort put into making the thing work is on full display. One can almost hear the creaking of joints.
Matthau is fine. His earlier villainous roles were never as convincing as his sardonic slouchers. Ingrid Bergman does her best. Goldie Hawn, alas, is more goofy than attractive. Her locutions come straight from "Laugh In" and make up has emphasized her enormous blue eyes to the point of caricature.
Too bad it wasn't better. They must have tried hard.
It ought to be funnier than it is. The dialog sounds as if it were meant to be shocking, but I don't know who would have been shocked, even in 1969. Maybe some church-goers in Pella, Iowa.
I'll give you the two cutest moments. (1) Matthau distractedly deals with Bergman, not noticing that she's wearing a mink he'd earlier given to Hawn, and then returns to his office. It takes a full minute for the mink to sink in. Delayed double takes are usually funny and this one is as good as any. (2) Matthau is talking to Bergman about his friendship with Jack Weston. "Listen, I can't ask Harvey to pay his bill. We've been close for years. He's a good friend. I just can't do it -- you do it." Aside from that it's all rather forced. It's like watching a Rock Hudson - Doris Day comedy without the clever lines and situations. The strenuous effort put into making the thing work is on full display. One can almost hear the creaking of joints.
Matthau is fine. His earlier villainous roles were never as convincing as his sardonic slouchers. Ingrid Bergman does her best. Goldie Hawn, alas, is more goofy than attractive. Her locutions come straight from "Laugh In" and make up has emphasized her enormous blue eyes to the point of caricature.
Too bad it wasn't better. They must have tried hard.