THERE'S A GIRL IN MY SOUP (3 outta 5 stars) This movie has always had a bad reputation and I could never figure out why. Sure, Peter Sellers has been in much better movies than this... but he's been in lots worse, too. He plays the smarmy, self-absorbed star of a TV gourmet show who enjoys the swinging bachelor life, even as he hits his mid-40s. He meets up with Goldie Hawn, a hip, sexually-liberated young gal of less-than-20 and the sparks, as they say, fly. There are some really funny lines but a lot of missed comedic opportunities as well. To this day I still wonder why there is no big payoff to the wine-tasting scene... after all the time spent trying to teach Goldie that one is supposed to "spit" and not "swallow" I wonder why she doesn't wind up spitting up during a fancy dinner scene. This may not be one of Sellers' best but Goldie Hawn does a fine job... breaking free of the one-dimensional blonde ditz character that she was known for at the time. (She even gets a totally gratuitous nude scene... wow, this must be the '70s!)
37 Reviews
Swinging English comedy... with flaws
djensen115 October 2005
Dork that he was in real life, Peter Sellers plays the dork's idea of a English ladies man, a swinging bachelor just over 40 but using his money and notoriety as a TV food critic(!) to make time with beautiful girls. Against Goldi Hawn's 19-year-old, free-loving, introspective mod girl, he's just enough of a square to make him believable as well as pathetic.
After establishing his charm with a couple of lovelies, Sellers meets his match in Hawn, who turns out to like him for who he is (being American, she has no idea who he is). He rescues her from a juvenile relationship with a mod drummer, and they're off.
There are some great scenes between them as they work out their attraction with uncomfortable analysis. After some missteps over the attempted initial seduction and a wine-tasting trip to France, they settle into a charming relationship. But the news media misinterprets their getaway as a honeymoon, causing a bit of friction when they return to England, but it seems flat. The movie falls apart when Hawn's character makes an improbable decision (she seems to be kidding), but Sellers nearly saves it with a sympathetic performance.
The nonsensical ending and occasional out-of-place moments thruout make this one good but not great, provided you're interested in the late 60s-early 70s era.
After establishing his charm with a couple of lovelies, Sellers meets his match in Hawn, who turns out to like him for who he is (being American, she has no idea who he is). He rescues her from a juvenile relationship with a mod drummer, and they're off.
There are some great scenes between them as they work out their attraction with uncomfortable analysis. After some missteps over the attempted initial seduction and a wine-tasting trip to France, they settle into a charming relationship. But the news media misinterprets their getaway as a honeymoon, causing a bit of friction when they return to England, but it seems flat. The movie falls apart when Hawn's character makes an improbable decision (she seems to be kidding), but Sellers nearly saves it with a sympathetic performance.
The nonsensical ending and occasional out-of-place moments thruout make this one good but not great, provided you're interested in the late 60s-early 70s era.
Flawed but worth watching
Marco_Trevisiol30 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
'There's a Girl in My Soup' has a rather negative reputation and is considered symptomatic of the slump star Peter Sellers was in from 1968-1974. However, while a flawed film to be sure overall I think it's better and more substantial than its reputation.
The opening wedding segment is particularly enjoyable and interesting; not only does it have several amusing moments but there's a short but significant montage where we see snippets of dialogue from the upper-class types at the party. They're full of bigotry, smugness and complacency and central character Robert Danvers (Peter Sellers) is clearly repelled by them.
But this presents quite a contradiction for him, as his success as a TV food expert has made him part of this milieu - indeed in the public's eyes the personification of it. And this celebrity and wealth that it has brought has doubtlessly helped him seduce many women.
And it's the chance meeting with Marion (Goldie Hawn) that brings out this contradiction in the open, as he desires her and her hedonistic youthful lifestyle but he's of the wrong generation and class to be a part of it. There's a long scene between Hawn and Sellers where is brought out into the open and while it isn't very funny, it's surprisingly engrossing and enjoyable to watch.
When you add in these elements and the funny banter from supporting players John Comer and Diana Dors as an abrasive married pair, the first half or so is most enjoyable.
Alas, the film largely throws away its potential in the second half, especially with a dreary section in France, and the film never recovers as the laughs dry up. Even more disappointing is the treatment of Marion's character as she goes from being quite perceptive (and cynical) in her opening conversation with Danvers, to being an insubstantial airhead; perhaps because that's the only way her choice in the final scene would make any sense.
Overall a bit of a wasted opportunity but provides a fair bit of entertainment in the first half and Peter Sellers is always worth watching.
Also, the song over the credits is very catchy!
The opening wedding segment is particularly enjoyable and interesting; not only does it have several amusing moments but there's a short but significant montage where we see snippets of dialogue from the upper-class types at the party. They're full of bigotry, smugness and complacency and central character Robert Danvers (Peter Sellers) is clearly repelled by them.
But this presents quite a contradiction for him, as his success as a TV food expert has made him part of this milieu - indeed in the public's eyes the personification of it. And this celebrity and wealth that it has brought has doubtlessly helped him seduce many women.
And it's the chance meeting with Marion (Goldie Hawn) that brings out this contradiction in the open, as he desires her and her hedonistic youthful lifestyle but he's of the wrong generation and class to be a part of it. There's a long scene between Hawn and Sellers where is brought out into the open and while it isn't very funny, it's surprisingly engrossing and enjoyable to watch.
When you add in these elements and the funny banter from supporting players John Comer and Diana Dors as an abrasive married pair, the first half or so is most enjoyable.
Alas, the film largely throws away its potential in the second half, especially with a dreary section in France, and the film never recovers as the laughs dry up. Even more disappointing is the treatment of Marion's character as she goes from being quite perceptive (and cynical) in her opening conversation with Danvers, to being an insubstantial airhead; perhaps because that's the only way her choice in the final scene would make any sense.
Overall a bit of a wasted opportunity but provides a fair bit of entertainment in the first half and Peter Sellers is always worth watching.
Also, the song over the credits is very catchy!
A gem of a first hour, a mistaken shambles of a last half-hour.
Ben_Cheshire8 July 2004
"My GOD but you're lovely."
This is surely one of Sellers' most memorable characters. This guy HAS to have been a major influence on Austin Powers: he's an aging playboy, with hairy back and bad teeth, who never imagines that he's anything but irresistible to women. Goldie Hawn is the woman who won't give him what he wants when he wants it.
The first hour is pure gold, some of the greatest comedy i've ever seen. Then it strangely begins to meander. Really badly. With the extended wine tasting journey, involving many pointless shots of Frenchmen drinking wine at what seems like a real wine tasting ceremony, and later on the pointless shots of scenery, very out of place in this story. I was thinking what terrific characters they were, and what a terrific comedy set-up we had here - but at the point where it starts to wonder, you realise that they'd only thought up these funny characters - but hadn't got as far as what to do with them. Thus, they also had no idea what the resolution, if any, should be.
They seem to have figured that everything would work itself out once they started shooting - well, it didn't. The last half-hour is an absolute mess. I would have enjoyed it much more as a 60 minute movie, thankyou very much.
As it is, we have a clumsy "resolution" scene that needed about seven re-writes, and a rather meandering, almost unnecessary last half-hour, peppered with a few good scenes (Sellers carrying Hawn over his shoulder in the lift), which unfortunately spoils what might have been one of the funniest movies i've ever seen.
6/10. The first hour is an absolute gem - i'd still recommend you see it for that.
This is surely one of Sellers' most memorable characters. This guy HAS to have been a major influence on Austin Powers: he's an aging playboy, with hairy back and bad teeth, who never imagines that he's anything but irresistible to women. Goldie Hawn is the woman who won't give him what he wants when he wants it.
The first hour is pure gold, some of the greatest comedy i've ever seen. Then it strangely begins to meander. Really badly. With the extended wine tasting journey, involving many pointless shots of Frenchmen drinking wine at what seems like a real wine tasting ceremony, and later on the pointless shots of scenery, very out of place in this story. I was thinking what terrific characters they were, and what a terrific comedy set-up we had here - but at the point where it starts to wonder, you realise that they'd only thought up these funny characters - but hadn't got as far as what to do with them. Thus, they also had no idea what the resolution, if any, should be.
They seem to have figured that everything would work itself out once they started shooting - well, it didn't. The last half-hour is an absolute mess. I would have enjoyed it much more as a 60 minute movie, thankyou very much.
As it is, we have a clumsy "resolution" scene that needed about seven re-writes, and a rather meandering, almost unnecessary last half-hour, peppered with a few good scenes (Sellers carrying Hawn over his shoulder in the lift), which unfortunately spoils what might have been one of the funniest movies i've ever seen.
6/10. The first hour is an absolute gem - i'd still recommend you see it for that.
Nice Dialog
masercot3 September 2009
I like Peter Sellers, most of the time. I had never seen him portray an upper-class Brit until this movie. He pulls it off pretty well, although you see bits of Inspector Clouseau in the mix. It doesn't get interesting until Goldie Hawn arrives.
I never expected the youthful Hawn to deliver such a solid performance. Her timing was great and her expressions were priceless. The way she alternately shoots Sellers lecherous character down and seduces him is beautiful to watch. Verbal sparring like I've seldom seen from a movie of that era.
The last thirty minutes of the movie DOES fall flat. It is worth the let down just to see the first sixty. Hawn is nude for a few glorious seconds early on. Enjoy it...
I never expected the youthful Hawn to deliver such a solid performance. Her timing was great and her expressions were priceless. The way she alternately shoots Sellers lecherous character down and seduces him is beautiful to watch. Verbal sparring like I've seldom seen from a movie of that era.
The last thirty minutes of the movie DOES fall flat. It is worth the let down just to see the first sixty. Hawn is nude for a few glorious seconds early on. Enjoy it...
Ewwww....hairy back, hairy back!
planktonrules29 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
While I have enjoyed Peter Sellers in a lot of films, this one really pulled me out of the mood when you see him early in the film without a shirt---and with COPIOUS amounts of back hair. While this might not be a problem in many films (or a boon if you are in one of the "Planet of the Apes" movies), here it made no sense, as Sellers was supposed to be a Lothario who attracts women like flies. I would think many women would just yell "Ewwww!!!" when they saw him shirtless and take them completely out of the mood. Sorry about the little diatribe....but a bit of Nair would have really helped him make the role more convincing.
The film finds Sellers playing an upper-class man who has become famous as a TV chef--sort of like Graham Kerr in the 1960s. However, his greatest joy is not food but women--and his needs are very, very, very compulsive. Again and again, he scores but doesn't allow any of these women to get close to him. And, women fall for his lines one after another. However, when he meets a very young Goldie Hawn, he's finally met a woman who can see right through him--and he finds this very disarming. For once, he is not in control and she seems relatively immune to his wiles--anticipating his every move. Surprisingly, he soon finds himself actually falling for this lady...something he's never let himself do in the past. And, he even contemplates marrying her! But, while she likes him a lot...marriage just isn't in her plans.
Despite its adult theme and cavalier attitude towards sex, I was intrigued by this film--mostly because it defies the usual stereotypes. It has very interesting characters as well--an interesting character study indeed--even if the ending seemed a tad abrupt.
By the way, as the subject of this film is pretty adult, so is the film overall. There's a decent amount of nudity and you might want to consider this before watching or showing it to your mother-in-law or priest!
The film finds Sellers playing an upper-class man who has become famous as a TV chef--sort of like Graham Kerr in the 1960s. However, his greatest joy is not food but women--and his needs are very, very, very compulsive. Again and again, he scores but doesn't allow any of these women to get close to him. And, women fall for his lines one after another. However, when he meets a very young Goldie Hawn, he's finally met a woman who can see right through him--and he finds this very disarming. For once, he is not in control and she seems relatively immune to his wiles--anticipating his every move. Surprisingly, he soon finds himself actually falling for this lady...something he's never let himself do in the past. And, he even contemplates marrying her! But, while she likes him a lot...marriage just isn't in her plans.
Despite its adult theme and cavalier attitude towards sex, I was intrigued by this film--mostly because it defies the usual stereotypes. It has very interesting characters as well--an interesting character study indeed--even if the ending seemed a tad abrupt.
By the way, as the subject of this film is pretty adult, so is the film overall. There's a decent amount of nudity and you might want to consider this before watching or showing it to your mother-in-law or priest!
It is just okay entertainment!
macpherr7 September 1999
Goldie Hawn (The First Wives Club) plays Marion, and was for nominated by the British Academy Awards for best Actress. She is adorable in the part as usual. Marion is a very young American girl in Europe whose boy's friend is an idiot. Because of that she takes off with Robert Danvers, Peter Sellers (Pink Panther). Robert Danvers is a very famous and very rich television gourmet cook - a celebrity. She does not know about his fame. He is really smooth with women but she does not buy it at first. But with all that money she stays with him for awhile, but then goes back to the young boy friend. Nothing great about the plot. If you like Goldie, you can see her at a very young age. Just a silly comedy. It is just okay entertainment. Watch it on television. It does not justify the rental nor is it worth buying it
The bastard offspring of a romantic comedy crossed with that ugly beast, the sex comedy.
JamesHitchcock3 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
"There's a Girl in My Soup" was originally a highly successful stage play before it became a film. I have never seen the theatrical version; although it ran for six years in London's West End, from 1966 to 1972, becoming what was then Britain's longest-ever running comedy, it never seems to be revived these days. The cinematic version is a mixture of the traditional romantic comedy and the sex comedy, a genre which had become popular in the sixties.
In real life Peter Sellers was never, except in his own imagination, and possibly also in Britt Ekland's imagination, a major sex symbol. Here, however, he gives a surprisingly convincing impression of one. His character, Robert Danvers, is a popular and highly successful television chef. (He was apparently based on Graham Kerr, a real-life popular and highly successful television chef). The elegantly dressed, forty- something Danvers is an incorrigible womaniser; when we first meet him he is seducing an old flame on the day of her wedding. (Mind you, given that the lady's intended is a prime example of the upper-class English chinless wonder, we can probably forgive her).
Danvers is not interested on love or romance; all he wants is uncomplicated, no-strings-attached sex with as many women (preferably much younger than him) as possible. He rather looks down upon his happily married friend Andrew. He meets his match, however, when he meets Marion, a nineteen-year-old American hippie living in London. (Marion is supposed to be American, but at times it sounded as though Goldie Hawn was trying to put on a British accent). She has just split up with her Neanderthal rock musician boyfriend Jimmy, who wanted a ménage a trois with her and another girl, and Danvers assumes she will be easy pickings. To his surprise, however, she initially turns him down, but he is nothing if not persistent, and eventually succeeds in getting her into bed.
Anyone familiar with the conventions of the romantic comedy will know what is coming next. For the first time in his life Robert Danvers, the Don Juan of the cooking show, falls in love with someone other than himself. Marion becomes his steady girlfriend, moves in with him, and accompanies him on a trip to a wine festival France. Even though she sometimes embarrasses him with her gauche behaviour, Robert learns to treat her as a person in her own right, not merely a vehicle for his own sexual pleasure.
At this point, familiarity with the conventions of the romantic comedy ceases to be a reliable guide. We all know that, according to all the rules, the film should end with the wedding of Marion and Robert, especially as a misunderstanding has led to everyone concluding that they are married already. As I said, however, this is not a pure-bred romantic comedy but the bastard offspring of a romantic comedy crossed with that ugly beast, the sex comedy. The classical romantic comedy rule book contained no prohibition against an ending in which a lovely young woman became the bride of a man old enough to be her father. Indeed, at one time such endings were positively encouraged in Hollywood, but by 1970 they were starting to look just a bit too nineteen-fifties and out of place in the brave new world of the seventies. So an ending was contrived in which Marion returns to the ghastly Jimmy while Robert slips back into his bad old ways. When we last see him he is seducing Andrew's pretty young au pair girl.
There is no real logic or motivation behind Marion's decision to abandon Robert for Jimmy, who, despite being a generation younger, is even more male chauvinist in his attitudes than the older man. This was presumably done simply to make the movie look trendier; after all, in 1970 rock musicians were the wave of the future, TV cooks a blast from the past. (Today, of course, it is the other way round; celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith are among the most popular figures on British television, whereas heavy rock looks nearly as dated as ragtime or Gregorian plainchant).
This bungled ending is unfortunate as in other respects this is quite a good film. There is an attractive musical score, based around Mike d'Abo's catchy theme song "Miss Me in the Morning". There is an amusing credits sequence which credits not only an "Assistant Director" but also an "Assistant to the Assistant Director" and an "Assistant to the Assistant's Assistant". (Was this inspired by a similar jest in the film "April in Paris"?) Sellers is not quite as good here as he was in, say, "Dr Strangelove" or the better entries in the "Pink Panther" franchise, but his is nevertheless a reasonable performance and Hawn is as lovable as ever. The script, written by Terence Frisby who also wrote the stage play, is a witty one and the action, until the disappointing denouement, is well handled. 6/10, a mark which would have been higher with a better ending
In real life Peter Sellers was never, except in his own imagination, and possibly also in Britt Ekland's imagination, a major sex symbol. Here, however, he gives a surprisingly convincing impression of one. His character, Robert Danvers, is a popular and highly successful television chef. (He was apparently based on Graham Kerr, a real-life popular and highly successful television chef). The elegantly dressed, forty- something Danvers is an incorrigible womaniser; when we first meet him he is seducing an old flame on the day of her wedding. (Mind you, given that the lady's intended is a prime example of the upper-class English chinless wonder, we can probably forgive her).
Danvers is not interested on love or romance; all he wants is uncomplicated, no-strings-attached sex with as many women (preferably much younger than him) as possible. He rather looks down upon his happily married friend Andrew. He meets his match, however, when he meets Marion, a nineteen-year-old American hippie living in London. (Marion is supposed to be American, but at times it sounded as though Goldie Hawn was trying to put on a British accent). She has just split up with her Neanderthal rock musician boyfriend Jimmy, who wanted a ménage a trois with her and another girl, and Danvers assumes she will be easy pickings. To his surprise, however, she initially turns him down, but he is nothing if not persistent, and eventually succeeds in getting her into bed.
Anyone familiar with the conventions of the romantic comedy will know what is coming next. For the first time in his life Robert Danvers, the Don Juan of the cooking show, falls in love with someone other than himself. Marion becomes his steady girlfriend, moves in with him, and accompanies him on a trip to a wine festival France. Even though she sometimes embarrasses him with her gauche behaviour, Robert learns to treat her as a person in her own right, not merely a vehicle for his own sexual pleasure.
At this point, familiarity with the conventions of the romantic comedy ceases to be a reliable guide. We all know that, according to all the rules, the film should end with the wedding of Marion and Robert, especially as a misunderstanding has led to everyone concluding that they are married already. As I said, however, this is not a pure-bred romantic comedy but the bastard offspring of a romantic comedy crossed with that ugly beast, the sex comedy. The classical romantic comedy rule book contained no prohibition against an ending in which a lovely young woman became the bride of a man old enough to be her father. Indeed, at one time such endings were positively encouraged in Hollywood, but by 1970 they were starting to look just a bit too nineteen-fifties and out of place in the brave new world of the seventies. So an ending was contrived in which Marion returns to the ghastly Jimmy while Robert slips back into his bad old ways. When we last see him he is seducing Andrew's pretty young au pair girl.
There is no real logic or motivation behind Marion's decision to abandon Robert for Jimmy, who, despite being a generation younger, is even more male chauvinist in his attitudes than the older man. This was presumably done simply to make the movie look trendier; after all, in 1970 rock musicians were the wave of the future, TV cooks a blast from the past. (Today, of course, it is the other way round; celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith are among the most popular figures on British television, whereas heavy rock looks nearly as dated as ragtime or Gregorian plainchant).
This bungled ending is unfortunate as in other respects this is quite a good film. There is an attractive musical score, based around Mike d'Abo's catchy theme song "Miss Me in the Morning". There is an amusing credits sequence which credits not only an "Assistant Director" but also an "Assistant to the Assistant Director" and an "Assistant to the Assistant's Assistant". (Was this inspired by a similar jest in the film "April in Paris"?) Sellers is not quite as good here as he was in, say, "Dr Strangelove" or the better entries in the "Pink Panther" franchise, but his is nevertheless a reasonable performance and Hawn is as lovable as ever. The script, written by Terence Frisby who also wrote the stage play, is a witty one and the action, until the disappointing denouement, is well handled. 6/10, a mark which would have been higher with a better ending
Substandard Sellers "vehicle"; ill-advised in the extreme.
HenryHextonEsq18 September 2002
Dear me... Peter Sellers was one of the most oddly talented actors there has been. But his choice of films, say, after 1964, was very unfortunate. He didn't seem to realize how to use his talents. He would have been better off working with more of the Kubricks of the film world than the people he did. Of his later films, only "The Optimists of Nine Elms" and "Being There" have impressed me of those I have seen.
That said, the Boultings and Sellers had made a few films prior to this that hardly sound that bad - I have yet to see "Carlton Browne" and "Heavens Above!" - at least in the sense of using Sellers well to a degree. But, "There's a Girl in My Soup" really is a poor film and a dire choice on Sellers' part in terms of character. In his films from 1955-64, you can usually expect at least some very inventive twist and always an enigmatic conviction in his roles. Here, you have Peter Sellers trying to play a typical romantic lead. It's almost Sellers playing a Niven cad without the joviality. He certainly does not convince, try as he might, or create an interesting character. He should have left such parts to masters of suavity such as Cary Grant, and concentrated on those intriguing dramatic and comic roles that he was famed for.
Hawn and Sellers really do not establish any genuine chemistry; this is no easy, genial romance of the like perfected by William Powell and Myrna Loy. It is very artificial seeming, all the way through - I know that it is part of Danvers' character that he is a dry procurer of ladies, but he doesn't really change from that in a way that convinces. Sellers has a very grating way of playing "charm" as well... this character really has no depth, and really does not gain the viewer's sympathy or interest. Sellers goes through the motions in a way one would not think possible when remembering the magnificence of his shifty, iconoclastic performance in "Lolita".
There really is nothing to say about the plot, direction or characters, as frankly they leave little or no impression. This is truly one of the most anaemic, complacent, misguided and lightly dull films I have ever seen. A nonentity of a "vehicle" for Sellers' undisputed talents.
Rating:- * 1/2/*****
That said, the Boultings and Sellers had made a few films prior to this that hardly sound that bad - I have yet to see "Carlton Browne" and "Heavens Above!" - at least in the sense of using Sellers well to a degree. But, "There's a Girl in My Soup" really is a poor film and a dire choice on Sellers' part in terms of character. In his films from 1955-64, you can usually expect at least some very inventive twist and always an enigmatic conviction in his roles. Here, you have Peter Sellers trying to play a typical romantic lead. It's almost Sellers playing a Niven cad without the joviality. He certainly does not convince, try as he might, or create an interesting character. He should have left such parts to masters of suavity such as Cary Grant, and concentrated on those intriguing dramatic and comic roles that he was famed for.
Hawn and Sellers really do not establish any genuine chemistry; this is no easy, genial romance of the like perfected by William Powell and Myrna Loy. It is very artificial seeming, all the way through - I know that it is part of Danvers' character that he is a dry procurer of ladies, but he doesn't really change from that in a way that convinces. Sellers has a very grating way of playing "charm" as well... this character really has no depth, and really does not gain the viewer's sympathy or interest. Sellers goes through the motions in a way one would not think possible when remembering the magnificence of his shifty, iconoclastic performance in "Lolita".
There really is nothing to say about the plot, direction or characters, as frankly they leave little or no impression. This is truly one of the most anaemic, complacent, misguided and lightly dull films I have ever seen. A nonentity of a "vehicle" for Sellers' undisputed talents.
Rating:- * 1/2/*****
No Sellers' Slump Buster, But Enjoyable
gerard-2116 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
****Includes Spoilers*** Made during Sellers' low period of 1968-1974 this movie was not the financial or critical disaster that many of his other films during that era were. It certainly doesn't mean it's blemish free, but at least it's interesting (for awhile).
Sellers plays an aging lothario who has seemingly met the girl (Goldie Hawn) who might just break him of his old habits. Sadly it is not to be as she makes a very curious choice at the end, leaving the audience to wonder, HUH???
However, the 1st 3 quarters of the movie are quite interesting and funny in establishing the characters. Unfortunately the humor, along with Hawn's character, degenerates quickly during the final 4th. Thankfully, Sellers offers up one of the better performances of his down years, basically playing off his own widely publicized insecurities.
While no great shakes, I would still recommend it to any Sellers' or Goldie Hawn fan.
Sellers plays an aging lothario who has seemingly met the girl (Goldie Hawn) who might just break him of his old habits. Sadly it is not to be as she makes a very curious choice at the end, leaving the audience to wonder, HUH???
However, the 1st 3 quarters of the movie are quite interesting and funny in establishing the characters. Unfortunately the humor, along with Hawn's character, degenerates quickly during the final 4th. Thankfully, Sellers offers up one of the better performances of his down years, basically playing off his own widely publicized insecurities.
While no great shakes, I would still recommend it to any Sellers' or Goldie Hawn fan.
What planet is this film taking place on?
gridoon31 December 2002
Annoying, static comedy with a painfully miscast Peter Sellers as a smarmy, self-centered Casanova who always has his way with the ladies. A major blemish on Sellers' filmography, and, even worse, a film that seems to have been made solely to satisfy the ego of its star. (*)
BRILLIANT SWINGING SIXTIES BRITISH COMEDY
joe884 August 2003
Not sure why it doesn't play in Peoria, apparently, but this is a very funny, clever British comedy. It's set at the end of the "swinging sixties". Peter Sellars is fantastic as the rich, forty-something serial womaniser. The perfectly delectable Goldie Hawn, playing a 19 year American girl in London, is, initially, Sellars' "catch of the day". But the urbane TV food critic can't stop himself from falling for the dizzy American blond.
Humour, pathos, great script, strong performances from the leads and supporting caste.
It's a great film, and the best gag is the very last line.
Try it, you'll like it.
Humour, pathos, great script, strong performances from the leads and supporting caste.
It's a great film, and the best gag is the very last line.
Try it, you'll like it.
all "soup"ed up and nothing to do
lee_eisenberg7 August 2006
I read that "There's a Girl in My Soup" came out during Peter Sellers's low period. Watching the movie, I'm not surprised. Almost nothing happens in the movie. Seemingly, the very presence of Sellers and Goldie Hawn should help the movie; it doesn't. The whole movie seems like they just randomly filmed whatever happened without scripting anything. Maybe I haven't seen every movie about middle-aged to elderly people trying to be hippies, but this one gives such movies a pretty bad name.
All in all, both Sellers and Hawn have starred in much better movies than this, so don't waste your time on this. Pretty worthless.
All in all, both Sellers and Hawn have starred in much better movies than this, so don't waste your time on this. Pretty worthless.
A satire of Sellers
alexandra-251 October 2006
In many respects Peter Sellers is satirising himself in There's A Girl In My Soup, by playing this role of an ageing Lothario in the public eye. As such, Sellers gives a first rate performance as would be expected from the great man. Deep down Seller's character in the film was a lonely, insecure celebrity with low self-esteem, who depended on the adulation of women, and his fans like a life support system. In this sense Seller's was portraying the tears of a clown via this characterisation of himself.
And while Sellers has charisma in this role, the film lacks it in the comedic genre it's supposed to be. There's allot more that I expected from Hawn, while the director could have made more of situations.
In some respects, it could be said that the restaurant scene in the film Pretty Woman (1990) is an extrapolation of that in There's A Girl In My Soup, where Seller's character takes Hawn's wine tasting, when she appears to know nothing about the etiquette of the rituals involved in it. The director could have exaggerated Hawn's character's clumsiness in this scene, like Julia Robert's when eating her meal in the restaurant scene in Pretty Woman.
Overall, a bit flat, but worth watching for Seller's alone.
And while Sellers has charisma in this role, the film lacks it in the comedic genre it's supposed to be. There's allot more that I expected from Hawn, while the director could have made more of situations.
In some respects, it could be said that the restaurant scene in the film Pretty Woman (1990) is an extrapolation of that in There's A Girl In My Soup, where Seller's character takes Hawn's wine tasting, when she appears to know nothing about the etiquette of the rituals involved in it. The director could have exaggerated Hawn's character's clumsiness in this scene, like Julia Robert's when eating her meal in the restaurant scene in Pretty Woman.
Overall, a bit flat, but worth watching for Seller's alone.
she's great, he's the worst
SnoopyStyle9 August 2020
Robert Danvers (Peter Sellers) is a womanizing TV food critic. He picks up Marion (Goldie Hawn) from a party and brings her home. She's willing to sleep with him but seems immune to his charms.
Normally, the age difference is a killer. Goldie has a few of these where her natural charms make her great and the guy is often a creep. In this case, she is not a helpless naive little girl. She is sexually liberated and self-confident. Robert is a creep but there is hope for him. I do wish that she has a more humanizing effect on him in the end. I don't like the ending. The best ending is for her to go off on her own to get her independence while he pines for what he had with her. Nobody changes for the better and that's not a good thing for this movie.
Normally, the age difference is a killer. Goldie has a few of these where her natural charms make her great and the guy is often a creep. In this case, she is not a helpless naive little girl. She is sexually liberated and self-confident. Robert is a creep but there is hope for him. I do wish that she has a more humanizing effect on him in the end. I don't like the ending. The best ending is for her to go off on her own to get her independence while he pines for what he had with her. Nobody changes for the better and that's not a good thing for this movie.
Peter and Goldie have done better
gregorycanfield2 September 2023
The title, as well as the presence of Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn, may lead you to expect a comedy. As a comedy, this movie fails completely. Nothing in this movie even made me smile, let alone laugh. The story is a combination of comedy and drama, but the movie can't decide which way it wants to go. Sellers is miscast as a womanizing TV show host. Goldie is OK as a young "free spirit." She becomes "involved" with Sellers, who is more than twice her age. Goldie's nude scene was a disappointment. Absolutely shot from the wrong angle. Goldie doesn't necessarily need to remove her clothes to hold my attention. But, since she did remove her clothes here, why not let us see the whole package?! Basically, the movie is about whether she will stay with Sellers or go back to her boyfriend, who is even more of a jerk. Overall, the movie just doesn't work. Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn are likeable actors playing unlikeable characters. That's the problem.
Wan star-vehicle...
moonspinner5510 March 2001
Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn team for a kooky romantic comedy...and it's a wash-out? Despite a few pithy, funny one-liners, this May-September romance doesn't go anywhere or give the actors anything special to do. British womanizer Sellers goes back and forth verbally with new 'bird' Hawn before they decide they like each other. London's mod phase must have been petering out around this time, as "There's a Girl in My Soup" has a shabby appearance, with colorless color photography, boring costumes and sets. Even Peter's bachelor pad is mundane. Lots of (disparate) talents involved, yet Terence Frisby's script, adapted from his play, doesn't really make a movie. Most of the jabbering about relationships is eternally fatigued, with a clinker for every laugh. ** from ****
This soup has too many crackers.
mark.waltz12 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
While glamorous girls like Faye Dunaway, Jane Fonda and Raquel Welch had become established stars by the late 1960's, it was the quirky girls or British ladies who got the share if acclaim as the decade changed. Between Liza, Barbra and Goldie, each of them took home an Oscar, while also topping the list of box office stars as well as the headlines. To pair quirky Goldie with eccentric funnyman Peter Sellers seemed an ideal pairing, but their film was doomed to become a dated product of its time within a few years.
For Goldie to all of a sudden be falsely called "Mrs. Danvers" (Seller's character's last name) is an inside joke, if an obscure one. Sellers is the British Dick Cavett, but a confirmed bachelor suddenly matched to the much younger Hawn, taking her to a wine show in France and finding romance he didn't expect. They actually work well together, not surprising considering that he eventually became involved down the road with the equally off the beam Liza.
It's not just the sexual freedom of this era that dates it, but everything in its technical set up. Hawn is pretty emancipated, but changes from feisty, independent and often difficult, to vulnerable and feminine. Sellers' character changes as well, for different reasons. There are funny moments, touching moments and ultimately bitter sweet.
For Goldie to all of a sudden be falsely called "Mrs. Danvers" (Seller's character's last name) is an inside joke, if an obscure one. Sellers is the British Dick Cavett, but a confirmed bachelor suddenly matched to the much younger Hawn, taking her to a wine show in France and finding romance he didn't expect. They actually work well together, not surprising considering that he eventually became involved down the road with the equally off the beam Liza.
It's not just the sexual freedom of this era that dates it, but everything in its technical set up. Hawn is pretty emancipated, but changes from feisty, independent and often difficult, to vulnerable and feminine. Sellers' character changes as well, for different reasons. There are funny moments, touching moments and ultimately bitter sweet.
Fun but thin
Rrrobert14 February 2021
Fun but thin comedy romance.
The characters of egotistical womaniser Robert (Peter Sellers) and plucky but sensitive Marion (Goldie Hawn) are well done and funny. Their early scenes are great. Unfortunately after they go to France the film falls apart, descending into snippets of silly slapstick and travelogue footage. There's a final scene to tie up the loose ends of the story. This resolution is played with gravitas but it seems contrived and the character motivations in it make little sense.
You never really feel like the romance between Marion and Robert is genuine love. But the idea Marion actually loves Jimmy (Nicky Henson) doesn't really come across either.
Supporting actors Nicky Henson, Tony Britton, John Comer, Diana Dors, Nicola Pagett, Francoise Pascal are good in their brief scenes.
The characters of egotistical womaniser Robert (Peter Sellers) and plucky but sensitive Marion (Goldie Hawn) are well done and funny. Their early scenes are great. Unfortunately after they go to France the film falls apart, descending into snippets of silly slapstick and travelogue footage. There's a final scene to tie up the loose ends of the story. This resolution is played with gravitas but it seems contrived and the character motivations in it make little sense.
You never really feel like the romance between Marion and Robert is genuine love. But the idea Marion actually loves Jimmy (Nicky Henson) doesn't really come across either.
Supporting actors Nicky Henson, Tony Britton, John Comer, Diana Dors, Nicola Pagett, Francoise Pascal are good in their brief scenes.
Good fun, but of its time
neil-4767 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
There's A Girl In My Soup is the 1970 film version of a stage play. Peter Sellers plays a louche middle-aged womanising TV personality, totally convinced of his own irresistibility. Goldie Hawn, in her second featured film appearance (after her Best Supporting Actress Oscar in Cactus Flower made it clear that the ditzy blonde from Laugh-In was, after all, just a performance) plays a young American who is singularly unimpressed, and immune to his advances. He has to offer her something genuine of himself before she will embark on an affair: he then falls for her, an experience for which he is totally unprepared.
While this movie is far from perfect, there is much to enjoy. Both Sellers and Hawn give of their best, there is some sparkling dialogue, and there were some good songs by Mike D'Abo on the soundtrack.
Above everything, though, this is a very 1970 film, in terms of both its look and feel, and also the attitudes portrayed.
While this movie is far from perfect, there is much to enjoy. Both Sellers and Hawn give of their best, there is some sparkling dialogue, and there were some good songs by Mike D'Abo on the soundtrack.
Above everything, though, this is a very 1970 film, in terms of both its look and feel, and also the attitudes portrayed.
More entertaining than expected
ckcckc-842276 September 2022
"There's a Girl in my Soup" is very much a film of its time, and I'm not going to criticise it for reflecting (and making comment on) the values of that time. Not least, because against a backdrop of stifling convention on the one hand, and chaos on the other, it is a film concerned with the ability to find common ground when worlds collide, and in which even the worst clashes are managed for the most part with gentleness and civility - something we could learn a little about in 2022. I must admit I didn't expect to be so well entertained, and despite valid criticism elsewhere of the film's plot development it is the central characters which carry it. Peter Sellers does alright but Goldie Hawn is an absolute smash, in a role she delivers without ever seeming to act. Sit back, make a mental note to stop tut-tutting at how things were in the past, and enjoy the film for what it is. And while you're there - do please pause to reflect on the beautiful performance by Anthony Britton as 'Andrew'. The absolute epitome of an English gentleman, his quiet good humour and gentle manners are an example to us all.
DATED NONSENSICAL COMEDY!
shepardjessica-111 October 2004
Peter Sellers (one of my favorite actors) is mildly amusing in this 1970 turkey, but the script is so lame and insulting that even Goldie Hawn's youth (just after her Oscar win) cannot begin to pull this one out of the mud. As a skirt-chasing celeb in his 40's, Sellers mostly embarrasses himself to the nth degree.
A 3 out of 10. Best performance = ? Nicky Henson plays a young study type.
I hope Hawn and Sellers were paid well, because I see no other reason for tripe like this in 1970 (a very good year for films - CATCH-22, M.A.S.H., HUSBANDS, JOE, WUSA, FIVE EASY PIECES and many others). You can't win them all!
A 3 out of 10. Best performance = ? Nicky Henson plays a young study type.
I hope Hawn and Sellers were paid well, because I see no other reason for tripe like this in 1970 (a very good year for films - CATCH-22, M.A.S.H., HUSBANDS, JOE, WUSA, FIVE EASY PIECES and many others). You can't win them all!
*** out of **** (barely)
johnnybravo1985200014 July 2004
Being a HUGE fan of the late great (etc. etc.) Peter Sellers I was really looking forward to There's A Girl In My Soup.
Well............the premise started off strong with Seller as the ladies man who knows what women want to hear and what they need to hear and virtually every female (young and old) simply can't say no to. Considering the age of the movie (34 years and counting and the gratuitous nudity may surprise you) it brought back the free spirit of the 60s'. No condoms, aids, and marijuana was probably considered part of the recommended daily allowance.
While on the way to a party Danver meets a young lady (Goldie Hawn) who has just caught her good for nothing boyfriend in lip lock with another female. Since Ted Bundy was only a boy in 1970 she accepts the invitation to Danver's apartment and the most brilliant dialogue between the two is enjoyed for the next 20 minutes.
Thats when Danver begins to realize that women are not sex objects, but breathing living human beings with emotions. Hawn does spend the night but Sellers chooses to sleep on the couch.
Eventually a healthy relationship happens but despite the two good actors (well, one being the best of the best-Peter Sellers) the chemistry between Danver and Marion is weak. (Hawn had the same problem with Mel Gibson in Bird On A Wire). Goldie has a look on her face like she is kissing her dad and Peter isn't able to hide his boredom either.
When they return from a fabulous vacation in France, Danver finds out to his horror that the tabloids have printed that he and Marion were secretly married and chaos begins.
Thats when screen writer Terence Frisby makes chaos. The terrific conversation that was enjoyed when Hawn and Sellers first met is now followed by two people that are no longer individuals we care about. Hawn in particular now dives into the stereo type dumb blonde (and in an especially unfunny scene when she embarrasses Peter at a wine tasting test but Sellers sharp wit saves the day with a hilarious liner in the elevator on the way back to his apartment) and eventually you just want her to go away. And the ending? I still had both eyebrows raised after the ending credits started to roll.
Recognizing my review as a prejudice approach, I recommend this movie to myself and only true Peter Seller fans. But even they should be warned: this not a Seller's movie in top form.
Well............the premise started off strong with Seller as the ladies man who knows what women want to hear and what they need to hear and virtually every female (young and old) simply can't say no to. Considering the age of the movie (34 years and counting and the gratuitous nudity may surprise you) it brought back the free spirit of the 60s'. No condoms, aids, and marijuana was probably considered part of the recommended daily allowance.
While on the way to a party Danver meets a young lady (Goldie Hawn) who has just caught her good for nothing boyfriend in lip lock with another female. Since Ted Bundy was only a boy in 1970 she accepts the invitation to Danver's apartment and the most brilliant dialogue between the two is enjoyed for the next 20 minutes.
Thats when Danver begins to realize that women are not sex objects, but breathing living human beings with emotions. Hawn does spend the night but Sellers chooses to sleep on the couch.
Eventually a healthy relationship happens but despite the two good actors (well, one being the best of the best-Peter Sellers) the chemistry between Danver and Marion is weak. (Hawn had the same problem with Mel Gibson in Bird On A Wire). Goldie has a look on her face like she is kissing her dad and Peter isn't able to hide his boredom either.
When they return from a fabulous vacation in France, Danver finds out to his horror that the tabloids have printed that he and Marion were secretly married and chaos begins.
Thats when screen writer Terence Frisby makes chaos. The terrific conversation that was enjoyed when Hawn and Sellers first met is now followed by two people that are no longer individuals we care about. Hawn in particular now dives into the stereo type dumb blonde (and in an especially unfunny scene when she embarrasses Peter at a wine tasting test but Sellers sharp wit saves the day with a hilarious liner in the elevator on the way back to his apartment) and eventually you just want her to go away. And the ending? I still had both eyebrows raised after the ending credits started to roll.
Recognizing my review as a prejudice approach, I recommend this movie to myself and only true Peter Seller fans. But even they should be warned: this not a Seller's movie in top form.
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