In this not very aptly titled Blake Edwards flick, Burt Reynolds stars as a sex-a-holic who clearly lusts after every woman he sees. He doesn't fall in love constantly, but he does chase after a pair of good-looking legs with stalker-ish tenacity. I just wasn't able to laugh as much as Edwards must have intended, because I just saw how alarming Burt's obsession was, and how disturbed his mind was. He didn't care if he had a serious girlfriend, or if a woman was married, he just slept around as if it were as natural as breathing. Finally driven to therapy, he doesn't actually discuss his sex obsession; instead, he's randomly become indecisive and can't even order from a menu at a restaurant. Dr. Julie Andrews doesn't bring up anything to help him actually dissect his issues, like his mother's profession as a prostitute, but instead just lets him vent.
What struck me the most was that both The Man Who Loved Women and That's Life! Were written and directed by Blake Edwards, and both films featured his wife in second billing and with absolutely no character. Is that what he thought of her? She simply existed to support the energy-draining man in her life, and nothing about her is worth knowing? Frankly, if I were Julie Andrews, I would be insulted to be given such roles. In both films, the male protagonist is self-centered, obsessive, draining, and has no compunction or guilt about infidelity. We can only hope they were purely fiction.
The best bonus for me was seeing Kim Basinger in a completely different role. Dolled up in a fabulous '80s haircut, makeup, and fur coats galore, she was totally unrecognizable. She's a married, rich, Southern nymphomaniac who loves starting an encounter when she could get caught. With bubbly energy and hilarious timing, she managed to steal the show from the impeccably classy Julie.
All in all, if you wouldn't mind watching two hours about a sex maniac who has no clue he even has a problem, and you like to see women randomly falling into bed with Burt Reynolds, you can give it a shot. If you're in the mood for an interesting story and three-dimensional female characters, you won't find them here.
What struck me the most was that both The Man Who Loved Women and That's Life! Were written and directed by Blake Edwards, and both films featured his wife in second billing and with absolutely no character. Is that what he thought of her? She simply existed to support the energy-draining man in her life, and nothing about her is worth knowing? Frankly, if I were Julie Andrews, I would be insulted to be given such roles. In both films, the male protagonist is self-centered, obsessive, draining, and has no compunction or guilt about infidelity. We can only hope they were purely fiction.
The best bonus for me was seeing Kim Basinger in a completely different role. Dolled up in a fabulous '80s haircut, makeup, and fur coats galore, she was totally unrecognizable. She's a married, rich, Southern nymphomaniac who loves starting an encounter when she could get caught. With bubbly energy and hilarious timing, she managed to steal the show from the impeccably classy Julie.
All in all, if you wouldn't mind watching two hours about a sex maniac who has no clue he even has a problem, and you like to see women randomly falling into bed with Burt Reynolds, you can give it a shot. If you're in the mood for an interesting story and three-dimensional female characters, you won't find them here.