Any Wednesday

Made in the mid-60's (when things were supposedly starting to "swing"), and set in New York, this comedy of errors stars Jane Fonda as a young woman who makes the same mistake too many have (before and after), getting involved with a married man, and believing they have a future, just as soon as he gets that divorce. When will that be? Well, right now it's not possible, because......

The married man in question is her former boss, John Cleaves (Jason Robards), who sets her up in an apartment, where he visits her every Wednesday, telling his wife, Dorothy (Rosemary Murphy) he'll be away on "business". No, she's not stupid, just turning a blind eye.

When an out-of-town client, Cass Anderson (Dean Jones) needs a place to stay, John's new secretary unwittingly directs him to the "executive suite", where Cass mistakes Ellen for a "working girl", hired to entertain him! The mix-ups are just beginning, as Dorothy pays an unexpected visit, thinks Ellen and Cass are a couple and invites them out with her and John. What a night that is!

Soon, Cass discovers that he's in love with Ellen and (to his dismay) that she really loves John and is not after his money and status. And Dorothy, now with clear vision, is not going to settle for wronged wife. Both John and Ellen have choices to make. But do they make the right ones?

Who ends up with whom, who has a HEA, and who go their separate ways? Watch and find out and have fun!

This is a very perky comedy that is highly enjoyable on many levels. The quartet of stars is excellent with great chemistry all around. Those looking for a tribute festival for the recently deceased Jason Robards Jr. should definitely include this dry, brittle, and insightful performance. Rosemary Murphy quietly steals every scene that she's in, and Jane Fonda was a great ingenue "bimbo" with all the trimmings in her halcyon days. Dean Jones should be outclassed by these three, but he definitely isn't, exhibiting talent hinted at in a few other roles when he wasn't lining his wallet with Disney pablum. This movie almost has it all: terrific dialogue -- especially for fans of double and triple entendres, marvelous acting & chemistry, swift pacing, social insight, and a true historical time capsule. My only mild criticism is that the cinematography is rather pedestrian even though the director makes the most of his attempts to open it up from being a filmed stage play, the camera work even in these scenes is unimaginitive. The positive side of this is that this is a perfect video movie since it does not need to be seen on the big screen. I give it 9 out of 10.

Broadway hit about a married millionaire's mistress befriended by his unsuspecting wife and cooed over by a loyal associate. Lots of slamming doors, comic deception, hissy fits and balloons--okay ingredients for a frothy fracas, and the cast is good. Jane Fonda overacts all over the place, yet she's delicious while dropping dry wisecracks or guzzling champagne (Fonda really keeps this material popping). The picture is so ready-made to be adorable, with little 'shockable' lines dotting the script, that it's easy to see why critics dismissed it. Some of the jokes are about five years out of date (this might have been perfectly pleasant if made in 1960 or '61). The plush production and the tinkly music set a jovial mood, but I bet the film looked awfully archaic coming into the Free Love generation. **1/2 from ****

On Wednesdays, Jason Robards tells his wife he's spending the night in a corporate apartment, when really he's spending the night at his girlfriend's place. His client, Dean Jones, is in town and is accidentally sent to the executive suite instead of a hotel. He thinks Jane Fonda, Jason's girlfriend, is actually a hooker hired by the company!

Muriel Resnik's successful Broadway play Any Wednesday fits in with many 1960s sex comedies, and Jane Fonda fits right in, as she did in Sunday in New York and Barefoot in the Park. She's beautiful and has fantastic comic timing, so the misunderstandings are twice as funny when she's in the middle. I never find Jason Robards to be very likable, but when he's paired up against Jane, he softens around the edges. While I liked Sunday in New York the best, this is a cute movie for those who like play adaptations or silly comedies that take issue with premarital sex. Jane Fonda really is totally adorable!

Any Wednesday's a truly funny out-stage comedy, with an enjoyable '60s taste. Jane Fonda is sexy and adorable, the other characters are well drawn. I'm a bit surprised imdb users have such a low opinion of this film (a bit more than 5/10 as I'm writing), in my opinion it deserves a full 7/10 just for the balloon scene.