read the book.......

Rating: Null/10 (15 December 2003)

If you read the book it's more obvious that Ben has a stalking problem. In one scene his father comes to tbe boarding house he's staying in and tells Ben that he needs to see a shrink. We don't see this scene in the movie and it could have taken the film in a direction that would have made it more interesting but they chose not include it sending the film on a dull path. As Pauline Kael said this movie is a typical 60's comedy in many ways, which I agree with. It's right up there with "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" if you think about it and even has a few characther actors from Bewitched. The filmmakers didn't want this to be a picture about mental illness so they tried to make it into a comedy which didn't really work in the end. Anne Bancroft is sexy in this movie, you can't deny that and I think people loved the fact that this movie was about the unthinkable, an older woman having an affair with a family friends son. At the time these things supposedly never happened and people must have enjoyed the shock of the idea. Now it's passe so I think you had to be there when it came out to really get it. It's very dated and not that enjoyable at this point in time.
For viewers that like to watch this over and over get a vcr that has a dial on the remote where you can go slowly through each clip, the party scene is the best place to do this, you see a lot of stuff that you miss watching the movie on regular speed.
For design buffs get a look at that beautiful Braun toaster in the Braddocks kitchen. The Robinsons house is very nouve riche. Check out the speakers in the bar and in the bedroom. These are made by a company called Nelco and they would be for someone with "New Money". The Robinsons lived through the depression and want it all in the 1960's. Bens parents house seems to be a little different, no bar and we see some of Bens gadgets in the bedroom. A nice portable tv(very expensive in those days, tv's were like portable computers now(i.e. IMAC)