Is this a divisive movie? Carnal Knowledge (1971, Mike Nichols). Discuss.
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| Written by Jules Feiffer* |
My wife hates hates hates it. I rather like it a lot. I find it disturbing, blackly and bleakly funny, peopled by despicable and/or pitiable characters. It really feels like a spiritual sequel to The Graduate(1967), another Nichols movie she hates, and you get to see Benjamin and Elaine's future post bus trip. Ugly behavior and gendered insults from terrible men, particularly Jonathan (Nicholson), as they destroy beautiful women over the span of 25 years. I like it very much but feel silently judged by the female characters in succession for liking it. I'm complicit in their suffering.
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| Candice Bergen as Susan |
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| Ann-Margret as Bobbie |
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| Cynthia O'Neal as Cindy |
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| Carole Kane as Louise |
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| Rita Moreno as Cindy |
Maybe the wife thinks
The hardest part to watch was the first act wherein Nicholson and Garfunkel are supposed to be college kids. Nicholson looks like he's 35 going on 55. Garfunkel appears the perpetual man-child, a balding naif, and he almost pulls it off.
LMK your opinion if you've seen it. Otherwise just type like no one's reading but you.
* author and illustrator of Bark, George among many others
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