California Suite
Dir: Herbert Ross
1978
****
Based on the play by Neil Simon, California Suite is four separate stories about four separate groups staying in a Californian Suite at the same time for a couple of days. None of these groups actually meet and each story is different in tone and story. The first story, that takes far more screen time than the others and is probably the best written of the bunch, is called 'Visitors from New York'. Although the story has a few locations (Hotel, Beach, Restaurant), it is one continuous piece of dialogue between the brilliant Jane Fonda and Alan Alda. Fonda is on fire as a sharped tonged and bitter workaholic who is in town to discuss future living arrangements of her and her ex-husbands daughter. Alan Alda is a great sparing partner but it is Fonda who pulls all the punches and gets the knock-out, in a quick and controlled performance which is among her best. 
 The second story is 'Visitors from London' and stars Michael Caine and Maggie Smith as husband and wife. Smith's character is nominated for an Oscar and both try to calm her nerves before and console after, in their own unique ways. The script is brilliant and the performances are as sharp as a knife. Maggie Smith actually went on to win an Oscar for the role in a lovely bit of irony.
 'Visitors from Philadelphia' is a little more simplistic and edges towards the comedy I was expecting from Nick Cardy's generally misleading poster. Walter Matthau flies into California a day ahead of his wife for his nephews Bar Mitzvah but is lead astray by his oversexed Brother and ends up sleeping with a prostitute. When he oversleeps the next day, he has to try his best to hide said prostitute from his wife, played by the wonderful Elaine May whom I really wish had made more films. The conclusion is unexpected and not unwelcome but is overall disappointing. However, it is the last story, 'Visitors from Chicago' that I found most disappointing, mainly as it was the one I was most looking forward to. Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby play squabbling surgeons who, along with their wives, are on a short vacation together. There isn't really a story here, the two actors just play out an ongoing and rather tiresome game of one upmanship that leads to some very poor displays of slap-stick and no real conclusion. I'm really not sure what its point was. The film is a likable and brilliantly written play with playful irreverence with sweet and sour undertones, not perfect but I liked it.