Themes: Dropping Out, Playing the Field, Midlife Crises
Main Cast: Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, Dyan Cannon, Horst Ebersberg
Release Year: 1969
Country: US
Run Time: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
"Consider the possibilities," read the ads for Paul Mazursky's 1969 satirical comedy about what happens when the sexual revolution hits affluent bourgeois life. After a weekend of "beautiful" emotional honesty at an Esalen-type retreat, married wannabe hipsters Bob (Robert Culp) and Carol (Natalie Wood) return to their well-heeled Los Angeles life determined to apply the principles of free love and complete openness to their marriage. To the respective curiosity and repulsion of their married best friends, Ted (Elliott Gould) and Alice (Dyan Cannon), Bob and Carol have affairs that they happily reveal to everyone. Inspired by all that openness during the quartet's trip to Vegas, Ted admits an affair of his own, provoking the outraged Alice to demand that this new ethos be taken to its obvious conclusion: a mate-sharing foursome. Once they're bedded down and ready to go, however, they start to have second thoughts. Without sacrificing authenticity for comedy, first-time director Mazursky and co-writer/producer Larry Tucker delve into the confusion of the Eisenhower generation when faced with the temptations of the counterculture. Too old to be hippies and too young to be fogies, the would-be California swingers sincerely attempt to try on the lifestyle, but it never looks quite right. A then-controversial example of the New Permissiveness both onscreen and off, Bob & Carol debuted at the New York Film Festival to great praise, particularly for Gould and Cannon. Whether they wanted to laugh at their elders' faux looseness or see what their peers might be doing, audiences turned Bob & Carol into a substantial hit, and its observations about marriage and sex remain humorously sharp even if the encounter group jargon is past its vogue. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Review
In some ways, it's surprising that a film so identified with a time period as is Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice should hold up as well as it does. It was both famous and infamous in its day for tackling the sexual revolution, and is often thought of as "that film about wife swapping." In fact, the spouse swapping comes only at the climax of the film and actually only takes up a small portion of its running time -- and is presented seriously, rather than as simple titillation. Indeed, though a comedy, Bob & Carol takes a serious look at relationships circa 1969 and how they had been affected by rapid societal changes. Because it is as much concerned with its characters as it is with the society affecting them, Bob & Carol has not dated as badly as many other films from the era. By painting an incisive, intelligent portrait of a quartet of real, identifiable people, Bob & Carol remains effective despite some turns of phrases and expressions of ideas that seem quaint or naïve. Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker's screenplay also picks up points for keeping the characters complicated; even the "free thinking" Bob and Carol are wrapped up in denials that they can't even recognize. Mazursky directs with assurance and flair that belie his then-novice status, helped enormously by Charles B. Lang's cinematography, which contributes greatly to both the atmosphere and our understanding of the characters. And the actors playing the title characters could hardly be better. At the time of its release, the bulk of the praise went to the Ted and Alice of Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon, both of whom were relatively fresh faces giving breakout performances. Gould has rarely been better, and Cannon is a revelation throughout, but especially during her psychiatrist scene and her climactic "let's do it" scene. However, Robert Culp and Natalie Wood are equally deserving of praise, each turning in finely calibrated performances that are filled with nuance and meaning. Wood's hungry, expressive eyes convey a multitude of meanings, and Culp's rapid acceptance of encounter group principles is completely believable. A seminal film of the 1960s, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is still relevant today. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Lee Bergere - Emilio; Donald F. Muhich - Psychiatrist; Noble Lee Holderread, Jr. - Sean; K.T. Stevens - Phyllis; Celeste Yarnall - Susan; Greg Mullavey - Institute Group Leader; Andre Philippe - Oscar; John Halloran - Conrad; Joyce Easton - Wendy; Howard Dayton - Howard; John Brent - Dave; Garry Goodrow - Bert; Carol O'Leary - Sue; Lynn Borden - Cutter; Linda Burton - Stewardess
Credit
Pato Guzman - Art Director, Miriam Nelson - Choreography, Moss Mabry - Costume Designer, Anthony Ray - First Assistant Director, Paul Mazursky - Director, Stuart H. Pappe - Editor, Quincy Jones - Composer (Music Score), Pato Guzman - Production Designer, Charles B. Lang - Cinematographer, Mike J. Frankovich - Producer, Larry Tucker - Producer, Paul Mazursky - Screenwriter, Larry Tucker - Screenwriter
After a weekend of emotional honesty at an Esalen-style retreat, Los Angeles sophisticates Bob and Carol Sanders (played by Robert Culp and Natalie Wood) return to their life determined to embrace free love and complete openness. Bob and Carol happily reveal their ensuing love affairs to everyone, sparking both the curiosity and repulsion of their more conservative close friends Ted and Alice Henderson (Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon).
When the two couples travel together to Las Vegas, Ted admits to an affair of his own. An outraged Alice demands that this new ethos be taken to its obvious conclusion: a mate-sharing foursome. But when they're actually ready to begin the deed, something unexplained within them prevents it.
Because of the overt sexual nature of the film (when it was released it was rated R), much of the humor could not be translated into a network TV project. Thus the characters needed to be substantially "toned down", losing much of the film's edge. The series did poorly and was canceled at the end of the season.[1]
