Plaza Suite (1971)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

Neil Simon (play)
Neil Simon (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 May 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Book into Neil Simon's Hotel Suite for the time of your life

Plot:

Film version of the Neil Simon play has three separate acts set in the same hotel suite in New York's Plaza Hotel with Walter Matthau in a triple role...

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Wedding | Marriage | New York City | Love Affair

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes.

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Roy Hubley / Jesse Kiplinger / Sam Nash
Lee Grant	...	Norma Hubley
Barbara Harris	...	Muriel Tate
Maureen Stapleton	...	Karen Nash
Louise Sorel	...	Miss McCormack
Dan Ferrone	...	Bellboy
José Ocasio	...	Room Service Waiter (as Jose Ocasio)
Tom Carey	...	Borden Eisler (as Thomas Carey)
Jenny Sullivan	...	Mimsey Hubley
Augusta Dabney	...	Mrs. Eisler
Alan North	...	Walter Eisler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vicky Ruane	...	Wedding guest

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements. (2003 re-rating)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:S | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (2003 re-rating) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Plaza Hotel - 750 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Maureen Stapleton recreated ONE of her three roles from the stage version. Like the male roles, Neil Simon wrote all three female roles to be played by one actress. George C. Scott and Maureen Stapleton originate all of the roles in the play; Walter Matthau took over for Scott in all three roles - Stapleton kept her role from the first act; the other two roles went to Lee Grant and Barbara Harris.

Goofs:

Continuity: In Act 3, Norma Hubley's hat gets soaking wet when she sticks her head out of the window. In the next shot it is dry again.

Quotes:

[coaxing his wife while she's on the phone]
Roy Hubley: Shtall em, shtall em. Just keep shtalling em. Whatever you do shtall em!
Norma Hubley: [on the phone to the wedding reception] Yes Mrs. Eisler we'll be down in two minutes.
Roy Hubley: Are you crazy?! I told you to shtall em!
Norma Hubley [innocently]: I did stall them - you've got two minutes.

Movie Connections:

References Something for Everyone (1970)

Soundtrack:

Tangerine

***1/2 Neil Simon Romp

3 wonderful short stories are fused together in this 1971 film.

The first story, which is the best, stars Walter Matthau and Maureen Stapleton as a couple whose marriage is failing and is spending their 23rd or 24th wedding anniversary there. Stapleton is terrific here as always. She shows great depth in going from a ditsy housewife to a woman hurt by the affair her husband has been having with his secretary.

In the typical tradition of Simon, Stapleton wonders why her husband couldn't be more original since all men have affairs with their secretaries.

Matthau stars in the second story as well but this time with Barbara Harris. As a Hollywood producer, he has come to N.Y. on business but has other things on his mind such as the seduction of Harris, a housewife from N.J. that he knew years ago when he lived in Tenafly. Matthau is quite funny here with his attempt to be suave and slick. While constantly changing her times of departure, Harris is hilarious while becoming quite inebriated from the liquor that Matthau serves up. Yet, this is the weakest of the 3 stories since you can't await for that bedroom scene that invariably takes place. Guess that Harris' marriage to Larry isn't as great as she made it out to be after all.

In the 3rd segment, Matthau and Lee Grant star as a couple whose daughter is about to be married at the hotel. Trouble is she has wedding jitters so she locks herself in the bathroom. A very funny routine is establish by Matthau and Grant attempting to get her to come out and get married. It is only when her husband-to-be is summoned, he solves everything by telling her to "cool it." So, here we see the generation gap is action.

The common link in the film is room 719 where the 3 stories take place. If only the walls could talk, they'd tell you not to miss this film.