Strangely enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2011)

Let me start off by saying that I definitely enjoyed this movie. That being said, however, I do believe that I enjoyed this movie because of the extreme levels of strangeness and awkwardness associated with the plot and characters. As the movie starts we immediately jump into Dustin Hoffman's (at first) unwanted affair with Anne Bancroft, and this sort of sets the tone for the rest of the film. It is very humorous watching Hoffman fumble around as he attempts to entertain this older and clearly more experienced woman, and the movie is clearly a comedy. But then something happens- Mrs. Bancroft's daughter enters the story and I felt the movie sort of shift and lose sight of its original plot. Perhaps this was done purposefully, but I feel that once Hoffman meets Bancroft's daughter it turns almost into a drama. The movie still maintains its humor but I think we see a clear change in the tone from jovial boyhood antics to someone who suddenly decides they want to grow up and get married out of nowhere. I don't think this detracts from the film, but I feel that Hoffman's character changes gears so suddenly the viewer may not be ready for it. Still a great film however, and I would highly recommend anyone to see it. There were some interesting camera tricks during the early stages of the film when Hoffman and Bancroft start their affair, as we see almost a montage of sorts depicting Hoffman running back and forth between his parents house and the hotel rooms he frequents with Mrs. Bancroft, illustrating his shame in a way. Also, there are some cool underwater shots in the pool scene(s) and I think they were very imaginative for the time. It felt fresh to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through. Overall, this was a great movie- go see it!