Cactus Flower (1969)

Sadly Over-hyped

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This movie is hardly perfect,but it is pretty good. Funny,silly,convoluted story of love and lies that plays out against a colorful background. The music is almost all really bad,think muzak monkees.Bergman is a treat .Mathau's crabby schtick was still fresh,Goldie is perky and funny.This could be viewed as a period piece but the story is a timeless comedy, Worth seeing.

The writing was good for Bergman's comedic dialogs, particularly with Jack Weston; but, her delivery was beyond outstanding. As Weston acts like he is getting carried away with Bergman's feigned cooperation with his feigned advances, he proposes a toast to their love affair to which Bergman comes right back with "God forbid!" with such perfect timing it took the viewer a few moments to get over how great she was. In the few minutes of that exchange between Bergman and Weston the comic repartee was so constant there wasn't enough time to get out the laughs that just kept piling up inside. Throughout the film Bergman's understated but precise, on target delivery of her comic lines was simply joyful to watch. It seemed unfair that she did not get an Oscar for her performance instead of the writer.

Full confession: I only made it half way through this incredibly inconsequential "comedy' before giving up on it, so take my review for what it's worth. I suppose the second half could have been brilliant, but somehow I doubt it.The premise of "Cactus Flower" might have been charming as a 30-minute episode of a sitcom (commercials included), but it's absurdly thin and worse, nonsensical, stretched out over a feature-length movie. It's a film about a bunch of ugly, schlumpy guys who we are supposed to believe are simply irresistible to any number of women, and the casual ways in which those guys emotionally dismiss said women. Ingrid Bergman is the bright spot as a dental nurse whose boss realizes he loves her when she reluctantly agrees to play a role in a farce he has concocted to prove to his dingbat girlfriend (Goldie Hawn) that he's marriage material. Again, why anyone would want Walter Matthau is beyond me, but in the spirit of fairness, I can't really imagine why anyone would want Hawn's character either. She's adorable, yes, but she's also unhinged and, at least at the start of the movie, suicidal (which is played for laughs, by the way). I get that "Cactus Flower" was made in a different time and that some of my resistance to it is due to the fact that it simply hasn't aged well. But that's not enough of an excuse. Plenty of dated comedies are still hilarious today. No, the problem with "Cactus Flower" is that it simply isn't funny. Maybe it all played better on stage, but every single joke lands with a thud on screen. I chuckled exactly once during the part of the movie I saw, when one character tells Ingrid Bergman that when she's at work she looks like a giant band-aid. Otherwise, neither my wife nor I cracked a smile, and we really wanted to.Hawn won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this, a case of the Academy having the hots for a cute young thing over more deserving nominees. Susannah York was nominated that same year for "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" for Pete's sake.Grade: D

Cactus flower is a very important film Goldie Hawn's filmography. It was her first big role and it was her Oscar win. I had so much fun with Cactus Flower for so many reasons. Probably the biggest reason this one really worked for me was the cast and the great performances they gave. The fine cast includes: Walter Mattheu, Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn, and Jack Weston. They are all perfect fits for their roles. I have to say that Hawn and Bergman really stole the show, I was so charmed by their performances. Hawn absolutely deserved the academy award, but I honestly wish Bergman would've won one as well because her acting here is so amazing, I couldn't take my eyes off her because of how well she can command a scene. The writing is spot on here too, funny and light hearted when it's appropriate, and very charming and sweet when it calls for it. Cactus Flower is just one of those cases of a film that gets everything right, from acting/chemistry to writing. You'll feel refreshed and happy when the credits roll. Highly suggested! 9/10.