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Monday, May 19, 2008

GOODBYE, COLUMBUS (1969)


Perhaps because it’s not the fiasco you expect/remember, this adaptation of Philip Roth’s early novel stumbles along with acceptable results. The story of a poor aimless Jewish intellectual & his affair w/ an upperclass JAP suffers from updating Roth’s suppressed ‘50s milieu to the 'anything-goes' '70s, and in trying too hard to copy THE GRADUATE (Richard Benjamin & Ali MacGraw are in for Dustin Hoffman & Katherine Ross while THE ASSOCIATION brings on the Pop tunes a la Simon & Garfunkel). But on its own terms, it retains just enough of Roth ’s libido & saturnine observations of life, love, class & religion to hold your interest. In her debut, MacGraw’s a tad looser than she became while Jack Klugman has something of a triumph as her father in a sane & sympathetic perf THE GRADUATE would never have condoned from the older generation. Benjamin is well cast and there’s a knock-out goofball perf from Michael Meyers, in his one & only acting gig. Plus, there’s fun to be had spotting snippets of Susan Lucci, Michael Nouri, Jacqueline Smith & even opera legend Jan Peerce whose son, Larry, megged.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: I don't usually comment on the posters (they 'speak' quite nicely for themselves), but WHAT is going on in this Spanish mock-up for this film? Could there be an X-rated version no one knew about?

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