Last of the Red Hot Lovers

Neil Simon scripted this film version of his play, in which an almost constantly flustered Alan Arkin plays Barney Cashman. Barney is a middle-aged owner of a fish restaurant who feels rather dissatisfied with his ordinary life. He mistakenly thinks that the way to inject some spice is to have an extramarital affair, and as fate would have it, his mothers' apartment is vacant one afternoon a week. He meets with a succession of women whom he tries his mightiest to seduce: Elaine (Sally Kellerman), a cynical, unemotional sexpot with a very direct approach, Bobbi (Paula Prentiss), an air head, obnoxious entertainer, and his own friend Jeanette (Renee Taylor), a cuckolded wife suffering from melancholia.

Directed by Gene Saks, this never really comes off as cinema but more a photographed play, even with a number of outside shots. As such, it's very reliant on characterization and dialogue, and it proves to be fairly watchable. The performances, especially from Arkin, are basically stage performances that come across as over the top on film. And it's kind of hard to care all that much about this average-Joe schmuck in the lead role, and why he feels so compelled to cheat on his wife. The sequence with Kellerman tends to be the most amusing; she's fantastic in her role. Prentiss is a little much; her character could definitely be annoying to some viewers. Taylor is fine, but this woman she's playing will likely be a matter of personal taste: can a miserable person with self-esteem issues be all that funny under these circumstances?

Simon, of course, does come up with some entertaining lines of dialogue, and admittedly, Arkins' reaction to getting "stoned" is a hoot as Prentiss convinces him to try marijuana.

Fans of Simon and the cast will likely be a lot more forgiving than the average viewer.

Six out of 10.

The fast-paced, witty script follows Neil Simon's stage play almost verbatim. Countless funny lines and come-backs make this a very entertaining comedy. Mid-life crisis seems to hit almost every character. Having an affair was the "in" thing, portrayed as a survival necessity. The "loverboy" is quite nervous about cheating on his wife of 22 years (with whom he has 3 children). Opportunities seem plentiful. Saying prayers for guidance is like a fetish to this man.

Somehow the production of this 1970s NYC setting and action feel like a French or Italian comedy. There definitely is a European flavor (of the 70s). The cover of the DVD promises a letterbox format, yet delivers only a VERY squeezed TV version. There are no added features whatsoever. Those are the only disappointments in an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable comedy. Fans of Neil Simon's work will have a great time.

This is a classic in my eyes, Arkin couldn't have been better. I love the long takes and the sometimes senseless arguments between the characters. I also like the score, it fits the time nicely. This is the movie that made me an Alan Arkin fan.

Barney Cashman, a middle-aged fish restaurant owner, is starting to contemplate the idea of dying for the first time - faithfully devoted to his wife of several years, he decides to have an affair. Something beautiful, something decent... an interlude of romance and beauty to reassure him that his by the numbers existence was in fact, worthwhile.

Well, somebody should have told him what Ellen Burstyn said to Alan Alda towards the end of 'Same Time, Next Year'... 'There Is No Such Thing, My Love.'

Instead, he arranges encounters with three different women in his mother's apartment - Sally Kellerman, a cold, callous and unemotional woman whose notions of realism clash violently with Barney's eagerness to be gentle; Paula Prentiss, a drug addict actress whose only feature film was intitled 'I Married An Ape' ( The Same Story As 'Wuthering Heights', But With Some Gorillas And Some Surf Riders... ) and Renée Taylor, a seemingly fiery woman who, in fact, suffers from a deep state of melancholia.

Like any other Neil Simon gem, this is an in-depth commentary on one main character's psyche intertwined with hilarious bits and one-liners. Being no exception, 'The Last Of The Red Hot Lovers' is about one man's quest to free himself from the drearyness of every day life. The unsuccesful attempt he makes to free himself from Barney Cashman and become 'the last of the red hot lovers'. The deconstruction of Barney Cashman comes through those three woman, whose extreme life styles make him realize how there is no such thing as a pure and decent extramarital affair.

Sounds depressing? Well, it isn't. Simon blends character study with comedy in rare fashion, and makes this as delightful as any comedy can be, and as profound as any drama can be.

Married restaurant-manager (Alan Arkin, miscast but still charming) contemplates having an extra-marital affair, striking out three times with different women: Sally Kellerman as a jaded sexpot, Paula Prentiss as a pot-smoking flake, and Renee Taylor as a society wife with melancholia. If you're familiar with the Neil Simon play (a dinner-theater perennial), you know right off this stagy material is not suited for the screen. Director Gene Saks must've been raised in community theater--he has little visual imagination--however his pacing and rhythm are snappy. Kellerman's segment is the best (she and Arkin get some real repartee going), but Prentiss is sidelined by uneven writing and Taylor does too much shouting (noisier isn't funnier). The picture has a dull, washed-out look, and Arkin is really too young for this part (he's supposed to be a balding 45-year-old, but he appears to be in his mid-30s with a shaved head). Some amusing bits are scattered about. ** from ****