Cactus Flower

I tend to like conversational comedies based on plays, and this one was no exception. True, it was clear to me how it would end very early, but surprisingly, it didn't spoil the final impression. Credit goes to the creators for the casting and excellently written dialogues. Lately, I've been focusing on old films, and I realized that the level of dialogue (or monologues) in them vastly differs from most contemporary ones. This is why I enjoyed the conversation of all the characters present. I loved how a relatively simple lie grew into a huge mess, and it was no longer clear who was whose sister, wife, mother, aunt, husband, father, lover, doctor, diplomat, or CIA agent. Not that I want to brag, but I could keep up with everything. / "I love you. My wife and I... I never even knew her." "How did the three children come? United Parcel?" "Well, at the beginning, I was polite." / "Alright, tell me what she didn't say. Word for word." / Lesson learned: When a lie has no legs, there are always crutches. (04/04/2023)

A high-quality classic comedy based on witty dialogues, well-written characters, and excellent casting, where there is a real spark between the individual actors and all the wordplay is well-executed. Compared to this tried-and-true classic, the overwhelming majority of today's comedic productions seem desperately unfunny, tasteless, and poorly acted. I guessed that Ingrid Bergman's character was about forty, and embarrassingly, I couldn't identify Goldie Hawn at all, even though I kept thinking that I must know her well. The film barely missed out on a fifth star, and a few extra jokes would have been enough, but what's already there truly works. Although the individual characters in their actions are foolish and twenty-one-year-old Toni behaves like a sixteen-year-old teenager, the exaggeration never crosses the boundaries of the possible, and the whole story is entertaining and believable. Overall impression: 85%. (21/11/2010)