This is one of those weird dark comedies that time hasn't been really kind to, unless it's seen from the point of view of viewers who have made a bit of a cult surrounding it. But in the eyes of this viewer, it's a very audacious film that deals with the unlikable character of George Soloway (played with a bit of overconfidence by Dustin Hoffman) who has been plotting his suicide and keeps failing. His motivation is the unseen man mentioned in the credits who has been telling Hoffman's many girlfriend supposed lies about him. The bulk of the film surrounds his encounters with those various women, his hysterically obsessive parents (David Burns and Betty Walker), doctor Jack Warden and agent Dom DeLuise, expressing his desperate narcissistic neediness and most memorably, auditioning actress Barbara Harris who walks off with the film.
It takes nearly half of the film before Harris comes on, and all of a sudden, the light begins to shine where there were just shadows before. This is a film that works much better for moments rather than the script as a whole, and it's one of the bigger disappointments in Hoffman's career. He goes from a very silly looking curly hairstyle (complete with mustache) throughout most of the film, and suddenly looks like he did in "The Graduate". Outside of the brief musical moments he has with Harris, the other ones just come off loud and annoying, at least those dealing with his career as rock band songwriter. I'm afraid that this film will always reek of its time, even though I'm glad I got to see Harris, Walker and Burns in their supporting roles.
It takes nearly half of the film before Harris comes on, and all of a sudden, the light begins to shine where there were just shadows before. This is a film that works much better for moments rather than the script as a whole, and it's one of the bigger disappointments in Hoffman's career. He goes from a very silly looking curly hairstyle (complete with mustache) throughout most of the film, and suddenly looks like he did in "The Graduate". Outside of the brief musical moments he has with Harris, the other ones just come off loud and annoying, at least those dealing with his career as rock band songwriter. I'm afraid that this film will always reek of its time, even though I'm glad I got to see Harris, Walker and Burns in their supporting roles.