Cactus Flower (1969) User Reviews

A feel-good comedy with its title symbolism well justified

[Davor_Blazevic_1959 · 8/10 · 26 June 2011]

Florigraphists, fluent in the "language of flowers", revealing a symbolic, underlying meaning to sending or receiving floral arrangements, describe cactus flower as a symbol of lust (in Japan), as well as courtship and romance (among Native Americans). All three and many other modest or excessive feelings, relationships, experiences... are nicely wrapped up in a comedy suggesting same symbolism in its title.

1969 film "Cactus Flower", directed by Gene Saks (who has already introduced us, a year earlier, to another stage play classic adapted for the big screen, Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple") is a feel-good movie--based on Abe Burrows' Broadway stage adaptation of its witty French original, Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pieerre Grédy's play "Fleur de cactus"--scripted by a legendary comedic writer I.A.L. Diamond (who is, among his other memorable works, credited with the screenplay for an all-time favourite comedy "Some Like It Hot" (1959)), with impish dentist Walter Matthau, accompanied by his reputable nurse-receptionist Ingrid Bergman, coming across as likable and funny leads, further supported by young and sweet Goldie Hawn, in her Oscar awarded depiction of a-cute-dumb-blond stereotype.

Bergman's Stephanie Dickinson, for all her decency and selflessness, is a character who is easy to identify with and root for in her initially seemingly unconscious pursuit of her apparently long suppressed, quietly emerging affection for Matthau's Dr. Julian Winston, a rogue we cannot hate because he behaves like a boy from Mark Twain's novel, or Dennis the menace who has grown up and old, but never out of his mischievous ways. In his no-strings-attached wished for relationship with Hawn's sparkling Toni Simmons, he pretends to be married. However, this new "fact" tickles well meant youngster's curiosity, so, surely free spirited, but not unscrupulous as eventual household breaker, Toni, tormented by many unanswered questions becomes--as seen in the introductory scene--suicidal, and... what was meant to be a small "preventive" lie asks for more lies, ultimately spiraling out of control.

Interaction between the three, further helped with an additional "accomplice", Winston-like lovable cad Harvey Greenfield, played by Jack Weston, produces some truly hilarious and--specially when the most believable miss Dickinson is involved--touchy moments for a wide-range audience to enjoy. "Cactus Flower" easily stands the test of time and even improves with each repeated viewing.

Current year (2011) production "Just Go with It", a loose remake of the 1969 original, provides a solid, yet, somewhat inferior entertainment when compared to its predecessor.

A Hidden Gem

[murphys-6 · 8/10 · 1 September 2006]

I discovered this late one night on Turner Classics. I kept saying to myself "I'll turn it off as soon as it stops being funny", but needless to say I watched the whole way through.

I am a movie junkie but I had never even HEARD of this movie (or if I did in 1971, I forgot). It's worth watching just for the performance of Goldie Hawn as the tart-tongued ingénue. Her acting is a revelation in this movie. Yes, the script is sharp and excellent (when was the last time they made a Hollywood comedy with a smart script?) but her acting is extraordinary. I never realized how funny Goldie could be, and it makes her later appearances in roles such as Laugh-In and Private Benjamin a little sad. In her later career she is far too over-the-top compared to her minimalist, wickedly funny appearance here.

It's a pleasure watching the young Matthau, the great Bergman and the stellar supporting cast, but it's Goldie Hawn that will make this movie worth watching again.

Classy comedy, unbeatable Bergman

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 10 April 2001]

Ingrid Bergman, playing dentist Walter Matthau's faithful receptionist who harbors a little crush on her boss, is absolutely wonderful in this film. She handles the witty repartee in the script with aplomb and steals a terrific scene where she and Goldie Hawn talk in a record booth (Ingrid's monologue is a front, but her face tells you she believes in it with all her heart). Matthau is an odd choice for the leading man (he's too old for Goldie Hawn and too unrefined for Bergman, not to mention too unfocused to be a dentist), but I liked the way he tries hard to please Goldie and stumbles around trying to free himself from a lie. Hawn (who won a Supporting Oscar) is just as fresh and bubbly as she is today. This bedroom farce isn't terribly sophisticated (and faintly reminds one of "Any Wednesday" besides), but it's a welcome relief from the noisy, teen-oriented comedies churned out of present-day Hollywood. "Cactus Flower" is a lovely sigh! *** from ****

Watch Ingrid Bergman do 'the dentist'!

[marc_mordiki · 15 August 2004]

Many farcical comedies of the 60's and 70's haven't stood the test of time. Cactus Flowers is one of the few that has.

It's quick, witty, well paced, clever and most importantly funny.

It's worth watching the film for the dancing scene alone: Seeing Ingrid Bergman doing "the dentist" was hilarious.

She really shows she has a flair for comedy.

The entire cast is brilliant. Special mention goes to a very young Goldie Hawn who looks (and sounds) like a different person! This is a classic. Highly recommended

Breezy, witty fun-filled comedy from the Broadway hit...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 29 August 2006]

When I saw LAUREN BACALL do CACTUS FLOWER on Broadway, I never dreamed that one day I would see an actress like INGRID BERGMAN playing the Bacall role on screen. But here Ingrid really lets her hair down for some good comedy moments as the dental nurse pretending to be WALTER MATTHAU's wife so he can go on with the fib he's told GOLDIE HAWN.

It's a story played for laughs from beginning to end, good-humored stuff that never runs out of dry humor and wit throughout its running time. There are plenty of one-liners or gags that are way above the usual situation comedy stuff one hears on TV--the lines ring true because they blend so well with the characters and their motives.

As the daffy girl who contemplates (in the beginning) committing suicide over her unhappy affair with Matthau, GOLDIE HAWN (fresh from her days as a star on TV's "Laugh In") does a dumb blonde role to perfection. Easy to see why she won that Supporting Actress Oscar.

Ingrid is surprisingly fetching in a rare comedy role, although there are times when she seems just a bit too matronly for the part. At any rate, she's a surprising choice to play the nurse who puts on a freeze act at the office but is considerably warmer off duty.

As Goldie's next door neighbor, Igor, Rick Lenz acquits himself admirably, and makes a suitable match for her in that final scene.

Matthau plays the kind of character that became his stock in trade in all those Neil Simon roles he had--a lovable cad who gets caught up in his own messes when he tells lie after lie.

It's the kind of rib-tickling comedy that'll have you laughing out loud at some of the amusing lines that Abe Burrows and I.A.L. Diamond have managed to scrap together, based on a French farce.

Enjoyable Slice of Sixties Heyday

[nycritic · 10/10 · 1 February 2006]

Starting on or around 1965 American movies took a turn for the shocking and the iconoclastic which was great for the times -- sort of the seeds that would pave the way for grittier, daring dramas. However, because the very decade that gave birth to these films was so ruled by its own convictions, most all of the films released at this period have dated. CACTUS FLOWER is no exception. Its very title suggests a "sunny" romantic comedy with occasional lapses into the risqué. This is not to say that it's a bad thing: quite the contrary, films about risqué subject matter have to begin somewhere and America being a culture rooted in specific traditions, themselves laced in deep hypocrisies, shocks itself for the sake of it when seeing an indirect reflection of the mores of the time. Meanwhile, European films address these same situations, walk off looking like a million bucks, and have a longer shelf-life because what we consider scandalous, they shrug off, say "Next," and move on.

Toni Simmons (Goldie Hawn in her breakout role), a young, very sixties bright young thing, is carrying on with a much-older dentist named Julian Winston (Walter Matthau), who has commitment issues. He can'r marry her: he's already married. Toni decides instead of wilting away she actually wants to meet his wife and "set things straight." Into the picture comes his assistant, Stephanie Dickinson (a luminous Ingrid Bergman, returning to American cinema after a twenty-year absence), a woman closer to his age who acts as if she and he had the perfect marriage and household. There is a reason for this: she has harbored quiet emotions for Julian, emotions he is unaware of, even when he asks her to play his wife to ward Toni off from wanting to step their relationship further. And then he steps it up a notch when Toni's blissfully innocent actions veer the action off into the unexpected and he introduces Harvey Greenfield (Jack Weston) as Stephanie's "lover". By the way, Harvey is also an older gent who is having an affair with a much younger woman (Eve Bruce) whom he also lies to in one very funny scene.

It's funny how the person whom we're looking for is the one who's always been there. What could have been a thankless role for Rick Lenz who plays Igor Sullivan, Toni's next door neighbor, turns into the man who not only sees the true beauty in fellow outcast Stephanie but the one who saves Toni at the start from killing herself. (Not the stuff of comedy, suicide. Then again, this is not your average comedy.) And needless to say is Ingrid Bergman's subtle, poignant portrayal of a woman who's somehow missed her chances at love, who's become prickly, who due to a lie said to another she becomes the real person she was always meant to be. I can't imagine anyone else in this quiet but deep role.

Movies like these can be enjoyed at face-value and seen as escapist fun -- a product of its times -- or be viewed for the deep symbolism that, like its title, it carries deep within. It's a tricky film, the same way Hawn's and Bergman's performance are equally tricky because in seeming so simple, devoid of flourish and pose, neither come out and proclaim what they are about. Their acting becomes "not really acting" but playing real people, warts and all. CACTUS FLOWER is a story that never appears to take itself too seriously, but reveals itself to be deep and very human after all.

Ingrid Bergman steals the show...

[lhhung_himself · 7/10 · 25 August 2007]

I was very surprised to learn that Goldie Hawn won an Oscar for this film. She seemed very lifeless and completely schooled by the 54(!) year old Bergman in the scenes where they are side by side. If it had been written today, I think that Bergman and the young man Ivan would have wound up together (Ingrid is so much hotter than Goldie...) and the two self-absorbed characters played by Matthau and Hawn would be left out in the cold. But it was written at the end of 60's and feels like Plaza Suite or Barefoot in the Park. However, Matthau's one-liners, Hawn's innocence and Bergman's classy performance make this quite pleasant to watch.

A wonderful time warp.

[xavrush89 · 9/10 · 26 March 2005]

This film has not exactly remained fresh in the minds of film buffs, and it's a crying shame. Its witty screenplay adaptation should have netted Oscar nominations for the great screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond's adaptation, and Ingrid Bergman's flawless performance. It must have been an honor for Goldie Hawn at such a young age to work with Bergman, looking more than a decade younger than her 54 years--fifty four! When she's on the screen, it positively twinkles.

This is a film which may appear dated at first, but it actually made me wish I was around during the swingin' 'sixties. Hawn's fashions are as tacky as Bergman's are chic. (That's one minor flaw--isn't her character a little too soignée for a gal who still lives with her sister? But then again, would we have Ingrid any other way?) And who wouldn't want to hang out at a nightclub called The Slipped Disc?

The best compliments I can pay to this film is that it somehow made me nostalgic for a decade that I never saw, and that it left me wanting more. Speaking of wanting more, I wonder what ever became of sexy supporting actor Rick Lenz? (He resembles Griffin Dunne in this film.) This was his film debut, and I don't see any other major roles in his filmography. As for Goldie Hawn, she's done so much since then it's easy to not be impressed, but I can't imagine any other actor in the role, either.

Since the movie is based on a play, the line delivery may seem a bit stage-y, but it did not inhibit my enjoyment at all. In fact, I am amazed at how funny it still is after over thirty-five years. Because this film represents a bygone era, it has unjustly slipped from the consciousness of film buffs. It is more linked to the era films that came before it than the ones that followed. But don't let that stop you from savoring the delights it has to offer. Grade: A

An Adroit Matthau, a Fresh Goldie and a Fun-Loving Bergman Provide Lift to a Frothy Farce

[EUyeshima · 7/10 · 8 February 2006]

Aside from the discotheque scenes that epitomize the swinging sixties (especially with everyone dancing to instrumental versions of Monkees hits), I am surprised how well this lightweight farce holds up 37 years later, but indeed it does thanks to the breezy execution of its deception-based plot and the sharp interplay of the three leads. Directed by the redoubtable stage-to-screen expert Gene Saks, this 1969 comedy is about Julian Winston, a successful Manhattan dentist and confirmed bachelor, who pretends to be married in order to avoid long-term commitment with his young girlfriend of a year, Toni. In response to Toni's half-hearted suicide attempt, Julian agrees to marry her, but Toni first insists on meeting his wife to alleviate her conscience. Enter Julian's devoted nurse Stephanie to play the wife, and the inevitable complications ensue with white lies growing into major whoppers that lead to presumed couplings and de-couplings.

As Julian, a relaxed Walter Matthau dexterously plays the deceptive dentist in his typically sardonic manner, but he lets his two female co-stars walk off with the picture. In her big screen debut, a pixyish 24-year old Goldie Hawn is still retaining her giggly "Laugh-In" persona but provides unexpected savvy and depth as Toni. She and Matthau have great, unforced chemistry in their scenes together. Screen legend Ingrid Bergman, still serenely regal at 54, is obviously having a ball playing Stephanie, initially starchy and quick-witted but blossoming into a liberated spirit as the story evolves. I particularly like how casual she appears after her overnight romp. There is nice supporting work from Rick Lenz as Toni's bohemian neighbor Igor and Jack Weston as Julian's smarmy actor buddy Harvey. Billy Wilder's longtime collaborator, I.A.L. Diamond, provides the sparkling screenplay and opens up the story beyond its stage-bound origins for Saks, who is not the most cinematic of directors. Other than a couple of trailers, there are no significant extras with the DVD.

Pizza & Bergman -A Perfect Evening

[fshepinc · 10/10 · 27 June 2005]

Cactus Flower is what I call a "pizza movie" -A personal favorite that never fails to satisfy. Perfect for an evening at home with a pizza. Knowing all the lines (and what lines!) by heart only enhances the enjoyment.

Since so many others here have retold the plot, I'll simply add the correction that Bergman's character, Miss Dickinson, was a nurse-receptionist, meaning she was a skilled nurse -and therefore an educated person -not "just" a receptionist.

Bergman's performance in this film -and the film itself- was largely dismissed at the time, but today's audiences will marvel at her range; not just the impeccable comic timing, but the ability to make us believe her character is unaware of her own feelings while revealing them so clearly to Toni and to us. While the general plot stretches credibility, Bergman's performance is compelling: honest and utterly believable.

Also a standout is Jack Weston's performance as the Matthau's old friend and co-conspirator, Harvey. No one could deliver a zinger like Weston, and I.A.L. Diamond's script gives him plenty. For example: "That's such a big, dirty, rotten lie it has class." Weston excelled at slightly seedy characters because he exuded a warmth that allowed you to forgive his characters' flaws.

The film is a fairly straight adaptation of the Abe Burrows play (which was itself adapted from a French play by Barillet and Gredy). On Broadway Matthau's role was played by Barry Nelson. Bergman's by Lauren Bacall, and Hawn's by Brenda Vaccaro. It ran for 1,234 performances (three years) and was nominated for two Tony Awards (Vaccaro and Burt Brinckerhoff, who played Igor).

For me, the film's score, written and adapted by the legendary Quincy Jones is another highlight. The main theme (A Time For Love Is Anytime) is performed by Sarah Vaughn over the opening and closing credits. It is also insinuated in different arrangements throughout the film, most notably as the romantic piano music underscoring Berman's speech to Hawn in the record store. Jones also created covers of popular songs from the period (To Sir With Love, I'm A Believer) for the night club scenes. As with all of the film's elements, there is a tremendous amount of talent, taste, and professionalism evident.

In my opinion, few modern romantic comedies can hold a candle to this classic. It's great to finally have it available on DVD. Time to call for a pizza...

Delightful Romantic Comedy

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 30 August 2016]

In Manhattan, the dentist Dr. Julian Winston (Walter Matthau) works with his efficient nurse and secretary Stephanie Dickinson (Ingrid Bergman) and he likes to compare her to a cactus flower since she represses her emotions. On the first anniversary of his relationship with his twenty- one year-old mistress Toni Simmons (Goldie Hawn), he does not visit her since he dates an Austraian steward. Toni believes Julian is married with three children and stayed with his family; therefore she decides to commit suicide with gas. However her next door neighbor, the young aspiring writer Igor Sullivan (Rick Lenz), saves her life. When Julian learns what Toni did, he decides to marry her. However Toni does not want to be a homewrecker and asks to talk to Mrs. Winston to be sure that she wants the divorce. Julian does not want her to know that he is a liar, so he asks Stephanie to pose of Mrs. Winston, in the beginning of lots of confusions and misunderstandings.

"Cactus Flower" is a delightful romantic comedy with an outstanding cast. Ingrid Bergman is impressively beautiful for a fifty-four year-old woman, but Goldie Hawn steals the show. The predictable conclusion is perfect for this entertaining romance. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Flor de Cacto" ("Cactus Flower")

A beautiful movie.

[Tim-177 · 8/10 · 11 March 1999]

Walter Matthau is wonderful as the "philandering" dentist Dr. Julian Winston whose frequent fibs to girlfriend Goldie provide textbook proof of the dangers of lying. Goldie Hawn's touching kook Toni Simmons certainly deserved to win her Oscar. Ingrid Bergman's work as the stiff-as-starch nurse Stephanie is also touching to watch as she comes out of her shell, slowly and nervously. This is a great movie to watch in the springtime, or any time for that matter. It's very underrated; I never heard about it until I found it in the video store, and what a find!

Sprightly fun

[brefane · 6/10 · 28 July 2007]

Far more sprightly, and less stage and set bound than director Gene Saks' previous efforts: Barefoot in the Park(67) and The Odd Couple (68), Cactus Flower is not a work of art, but compared to most of the tired farces from the 60's like The Apartment, Move Over, Darling, How to Murder Your Wife, Goodbye Charlie, A Guide for the Marrried Man, Divorce, American Style, Any Wednesday, Kiss Me Stupid, Boys Night Out, it's a masterpiece. Though its stage origins show, Cactus Flower improves upon the source material with director Saks and writer I.A.L. Diamond effectively "opening up" and energizing Abe Burrows' Broadway hit. The film benefits from authentic New York City locations, and good performances from Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn. Bergman is charming, looks great, and demonstrates a flair for comedy. Hawn in her Oscar winning role has never been better or more appealing. Matthau is expectedly funny though it's hard to understand why Hawn's character is so enamored of him, and in retrospect, Hawn's attempted suicide at the start of the film is out of character and more of a a contrivance. Nonetheless, the film has a plausible farcical set up, and once it gets going it generates laugh, and Rick Lenz, Jack Weston, Eve Bruce, and Vitto Scotti provide good support. The film is likable, and Hawn and Bergman help create the illusion that it all somehow matters.

Romantic Comedy

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 29 July 2013]

A dentist, Walther Matthau, is determined not to marry his girl friend, Goldie Hawn, so as an excuse he invents for himself a wife and three children. Hawn, however, wants marriage and one thing leads to another until Matthau must enlist his prim and prudish dental assistant, Ingrid Bergman, to play the part of his fictional wife. Other characters come and go -- the young artist next door who is Matthau's rival for Hawn; Jack Weston as Matthau's friend who simply won't pay his dental bills; Vito Scotti as the lecherous Latin who would love to lay hands on Bergman if only she didn't loathe him.

It ought to be funnier than it is. The dialog sounds as if it were meant to be shocking, but I don't know who would have been shocked, even in 1969. Maybe some church-goers in Pella, Iowa.

I'll give you the two cutest moments. (1) Matthau distractedly deals with Bergman, not noticing that she's wearing a mink he'd earlier given to Hawn, and then returns to his office. It takes a full minute for the mink to sink in. Delayed double takes are usually funny and this one is as good as any. (2) Matthau is talking to Bergman about his friendship with Jack Weston. "Listen, I can't ask Harvey to pay his bill. We've been close for years. He's a good friend. I just can't do it -- you do it." Aside from that it's all rather forced. It's like watching a Rock Hudson - Doris Day comedy without the clever lines and situations. The strenuous effort put into making the thing work is on full display. One can almost hear the creaking of joints.

Matthau is fine. His earlier villainous roles were never as convincing as his sardonic slouchers. Ingrid Bergman does her best. Goldie Hawn, alas, is more goofy than attractive. Her locutions come straight from "Laugh In" and make up has emphasized her enormous blue eyes to the point of caricature.

Too bad it wasn't better. They must have tried hard.

Underrated comedy uplifted by star trio.

[back2wsoc · 14 September 2002]

Adapted from the Broadway play, Cactus Flower is nonthink entertainment given superlative star treatment by Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, and Goldie Hawn. Hawn, in her Oscar-winning debut, plays Toni, a twentysomething free spirit engaged to dentist Julian Winston (Matthau), who isn't ready to give up his bachelorhood just yet. To avoid marriage, he lies to Toni and tells her that he is already married (with children) to his assistant, Stephanie (Bergman). At first, Stephanie is against the idea of being dishonest, but because of the secret love she harbors for Julian, she gives in. Romantic entanglements ensue, leading to a touching conclusion. Ingrid Bergman always had a flair for light comedy, but was only given rare opportunities to show it (Indiscreet, The Yellow Rolls-Royce). Matthau is wonderfully befuddled, and Hawn began the first in a series of kooky characterizations. With hilarious support from Jack Weston, Rick Lenz, and Eve Bruce, Cactus Flower is a blossoming laugh fest!

Goldie Hawn is hard to resist in this amusing comedy

[zetes · 7/10 · 12 July 2010]

Goofy comedy, based on a play (pretty obviously), about a womanizing dentist (Walter Matthau) who pretends he's married to keep his mistress (Goldie Hawn) in check. When he finally comes around to the desire to marry the girl, he keeps up the lie and tells her he's getting a divorce. She insists on meeting the wife so she won't feel so bad, and Matthau gets his receptionist (Ingrid Bergman) to pretend to be his wife. Of course, Bergman harbors a secret crush on Matthau. Meanwhile, the hippie next door to Hawn (Rick Lenz) wants to break Hawn and Matthau up. The plot is pretty predictable, but the movie's funny, so it doesn't matter much. My one big problem with the film is Walter Matthau. Matthau a ladies man? Maybe, if he flashed his money around or something, but that guy is seriously hideous (I think I've said this before and it was pointed out that, in real life, he was a big womanizer, but, yeah, he was famous and he had the money to back up his propositions). Bergman is quite good. This was the first film she actually made in America since she was banished in the early '50s (all of her other English language films being shot in Europe). But it's really Hawn who steals the show, and won an Oscar for it. She's such an odd and beautiful gal. I don't know if I'd say her performance is Oscar worthy, but I can understand her win. She's hard to resist.

Cactus Flower Really Blooms ***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 14 February 2007]

Goldie Hawn's depiction of a simple young lady caught up in a love triangle with an older man, a dentist, played with such relish by Walter Matthau, that she won the best supporting actress Oscar for 1969.

The film, however, is another tribute to Ingrid Bergman. Rarely, did we ever see her in a comedy and she literally kicks up her heels here as a dedicated dental nurse who is thrust into a scheme for Matthau to tell Hawn that they're married.

It is such a joy to watch Matthau and Bergman fall for each other here. Theirs is an accidental love affair in the making.

As Matthau's friend, Jack Weston is fabulous as his partner in the scheme as well. Rick Lenz gives ample support as Hawn's newly-found boyfriend as well.

A gift for comedy

[MOscarbradley · 7/10 · 12 April 2007]

Anyone who has ever doubted Ingrid Bergman's ability to play comedy need only look to "The Bells of St. Mary's". OK, so she's a nun with TB who's probably in love with Fr. O'Malley, (think what Luis Bunuel could have done with that), but she also displayed a wonderfully sly sense of fun that made you wish directors had cast her in comedies more often. In "Cactus Flower" she's a starched dentist's nurse, (Walter Matthau is the dentist), in love with her boss but keeping it buttoned up. When she's forced to act as his 'wife' in order to hoodwink his mistress, (don't ask), she lets loose and the buttons pop. And she's a joy to behold.

The movie itself is a hardier than usual translation to the screen of a Broadway hit, (you can see it's three acts). It's a French Farce, (it was originally; it's taken from the play 'Fleur de Cactas' by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy), and it hits all the right spots. Matthau uses his great hang-jowl expression to wonderful effect and a klutzy blonde newcomer, as she was then, called Goldie Hawn almost steals the film as the dizzy mistress who decides to give up her meal ticket because she feels sorry for 'the wife' even though 'the wife' is having a ball. Hawn made such an impression in the role that what she did steal was the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Surprisingly Low Rating

[DKosty123 · 8/10 · 14 July 2007]

I am surprised by the relatively low rating this film has. It is a screwball comedy & romance film rolled together by someone besides Billy Wilder but it does a really good job & even won an Oscar.

It is Ingrid Bergman's first film in the US since the 1950's & even though she is no longer the young bombshell she was in her early films, she brings off a difficult role quite handsomely. This film proves she had multiple talents beyond her good looks.

Goldie Hawn who won an Oscar in this, her first film, as supporting actress is very good as the modern sophisticated yet quirky latest mistress to Dentist playboy, love them & leave them Walter Mathaw. Goldie is delightful to all the senses in this role which with a great cast set her up as a slam dunk for this early career award.

This film is not real deep, but is a gem that has stood the test of time very well. Not sure why it's average is so low as I give it a solid 8.

He didn't deserve her

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 7 March 2017]

Cactus Flower finds Walter Matthau as successful Park Avenue dentist and part time roue who loves chasing the young women. One has to remember this was 1969 the height of the era of free love and many a middle aged man was going into a second bout of puberty. With Matthau though he never left the first one.

If people get too interested in a permanent relationship he's invented a fictional wife and 3 kids who just won't let him go. Right now he's seeing Goldie Hawn who is your typical 60s product who works in a record store back when people bought those vinyl 45s and long playing albums.

But right in his own office there's loyal and efficient Ingrid Bergman who is his dental assistant. One of those people who just blend into the wallpaper, you just assume their presence.

My biggest problem with Cactus Flower is that Bergman seeing what a complete rat Matthau is in his personal life why she wants him is beyond me. But the heart always has its own reasons.

In any event when Hawn starts pressing him Matthau has Bergman pretend to be his wife. After that everyone starts making assumptions about everyone else.

This was Ingrid Bergman's first film in Hollywood since the notorious scandal with Roberto Rosellini back in 1949. She takes over from fellow movie icon Lauren Bacall who did the Broadway play from 1965 to 1968 with Barry Nelson and Brenda Vaccaro. She turns out to have quite the flair for comedy which was rarely used.

Matthau is Matthau. Imagine Whiplash Willie Gingrich in a white dental outfit and you have Walter's character.

The real surprise here is Goldie Hawn who certainly did have a flair for comedy as shown by her time on Rowan&Martin's Laugh-In during that period. Her stint there won her the part of the record store clerk and she got an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and the start of a successful big screen career.

The acting is great of course. For me I think the story would have worked better if Matthau got some comeuppance.

He sure didn't deserve Ingrid and Ingrid deserved better.

This Movie Is Great Fun!

[synergydesign2003 · 9/10 · 16 October 2007]

I've been playing this movie incessantly this month, and I just love it. I was around in the 60s (oh dear), so it is nostalgic in one sense. However, it's the funny premise, the snappy dialogue and the great performances that keep me watching.

Dr. Winston's reactions to Stephanie at the end of the movie are priceless. (I'd be more specific, but don't want to spoil it for anyone.) Who other than Matthau can play a man not entirely on the up-and-up and yet have us still love him? As for Bergman's costumes, I think she looks as dowdy as she's supposed to. I think "she was robbed" the one time that she appears in an evening gown. It doesn't suit her at all, which is too bad. I never liked it when I first saw it on her and I still don't.

Goldie won an Oscar for her role. People thought it was a groundbreaking performance at the time, and yet it's the one performance that I don't love as much as the others. She does have the right amount of sweetness and likability, however, which is important for this role.

And I agree - I thought Rick Lenz was great in it and it's too bad that his movie career didn't take off after this.

I hope more people watch this movie ... they'll love it!

See her bloom

[ThomasColquith · 7/10 · 10 March 2022]

While "Cactus Flower" stars a more mature Ingrid Bergman she is as delightful as ever and creates a memorable romantic comedy along with Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn. The supporting characters were also good. This film reminded me somewhat of "Indiscreet," which had another good Bergman performance, but "Cactus Flower" is a much more funny and entertaining film in my opinion. I rated "Indiscreet" a 4/10 and "Cactus Flower" a 7/10. The opening is a little dour but once you get past that it is enjoyable.

Indiscretions Of An American Cactus

[writers_reign · 8/10 · 30 October 2012]

Ingrid Bergman must have experienced a strong sense of deja vu when she shot this movie about a man who pretends to be married so that he doesn't have to fear any of his many girlfriends thinking altar; in Indiscreet a few years earlier she herself had been fooled by Cary Grant's use of this same ploy (which was also based on a stage play, Kind Sir, by Garson Kanin) and here she is persuaded by philanderer Walter Mattheau to pose as his wife so that his latest mistress, Goldie Hawn, to whom he has proposed marriage, can ask for the blessing of the soon-to-be discarded wife. This is one of those plots where you know from the moment the premise is stated exactly what will happen ninety minutes later so that the enjoyment is in the journey from A to Z. It's Bergman's movie all the way, Mattheau was never going to be either as polished as Grant or as hip as Sinatra who played similar roles in The Tender Trap and Come Blow Your Horn yet he's too good an actor not to accomplish ninety per cent of the part. Goldie Hawn is far too precious and OTT as the lovable kook but Jack Weston scores as the seedy friend/patient. Without Bergman it would be a lot less charming, with her it's a joy.

Pleasant, Slight 60's Comedy

[daoldiges · 6/10 · 14 February 2024]

I'd heard mention of Cactus Flower through the years but only ever as Goldie Hawn winning an Oscar for her performance. And yes, she is likeable here. Even more likeable for me was Ingrid Bergman. At first her presence through me off a bit but before long I could tell that her's was a bit if inspired casting which I very much enjoyed. Matthau is Matthau. The story is kind of slight and the writers do their best to stretch it out to a feature length film, and for the most part it works, but the middle section drags just a bit as Hawn's character's endless concerns for Matthau's wife starts to become overwrought. Things do come back together towards the final third of the film and it ends pleasantly enough.

A sitcom brightened by Goldie Hawn

[JasparLamarCrabb · 5/10 · 30 July 2013]

A feather weight sitcom stretched out into a feature film. Walter Matthau is a womanizing dentist who throws his conquests off by claiming to be married. When he finds himself smitten with kooky Goldie Hawn, he recruits his spinsterish nurse (Ingrid Bergman) to play his "wife," in order to convince Hawn he's getting a divorce. Mayhem ensues. There's lots of wisecracks in what is essentially a filmed play (Abe Burrows wrote the play, I.A.L. Diamond did the screenplay). Most of the funniest lines come from Jack Weston, as one of Matthau's less savory patients. Bergman is fun and it's great to see her playing in a comedy. Matthau is Matthau and Hawn (who won an Oscar) brightens up a story that could have been pretty dull stuff. Quincy Jones did the score, but listen for a number of songs from other Columbia products (TO SIR WITH LOVE; THE MONKEES) playing in the discotheque scenes. Directed by Gene Saks.