S.O.B. (1981)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writer:

Blake Edwards (writer)

Release Date:

1 July 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Once upon a time in Hollywood...

Plot:

A film-within-a-film: a fading movie producer has a plan for a successful movie: get a actress famous...

Plot Keywords:

Twisted Version Of Current World | Travesty | Film In Film | Perversion | Eulogy

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Julie Andrews	...	Sally Miles
William Holden	...	Tim Culley
Marisa Berenson	...	Mavis
Larry Hagman	...	Dick Benson
Robert Loggia	...	Herb Maskowitz
Stuart Margolin	...	Gary Murdock
Richard Mulligan	...	Felix Farmer
Robert Preston	...	Dr. Irving Finegarten
Craig Stevens	...	Willard
Loretta Swit	...	Polly Reed
Robert Vaughn	...	David Blackman
Robert Webber	...	Ben Coogan
Shelley Winters	...	Eva Brown
Jennifer Edwards	...	Lila
Rosanna Arquette	...	Babs

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Norway:16 (1981) | Australia:M | UK:AA | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Artista Management

Trivia:

The barker was played by Paddy Stone, the choreographer of the film.

Quotes:

[after placing Felix's corpse in the back seat of a convertible]
Dr. Irving Finegarten: He'd be less conspicuous if he had his eyes open.
Ben Coogan: He'd be less conspicuous if he was back in his box!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Lethal Weapons (#3.7)" (2001)

Raucous, Uneven Fun

Next to Victor/Victoria, S.O.B. is probably my favorite Blake Edwards film. I'm not a great fan of his movies, but when his films are funny, they're usually hilarious. This movie has its fair share of laugh out loud moments that more than make up for some of the slow and less-well-scripted parts. It features a number of wonderful, if sometimes over-the-top, performances by many well-known performers. Most of the scenery chewing is very well in tune with the theme of this Hollywood harpooning. Given the ever-increasingly cynical nature of movie producing, some of S.O.B.'s elements even seem quaint.

The Viking send-off is one of my all-time most memorable movie scenes, and the fact that this is also William Holden's last role gives this section an added air of sadness.