Main Cast: Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Elaine May, Nina Wayne, Eddie Mayehoff
Release Year: 1967
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
Plot
Three friends play a game of musical chairs with their relationships in this quirky comedy based on the hit play by Murray Schisgal. Harry Berlin (Jack Lemmon) is a deeply depressed man who is convinced his life is going nowhere -- so much so that he has decided to kill himself by jumping off a bridge. Just before he makes his big leap, Harry is interrupted by Milt Manville (Peter Falk), an old friend in high school who has struck it rich as a combination stock broker and salvage dealer. Milt is not-very-happily married to wildly neurotic Ellen (Elaine May), and is having an affair on the side with Linda (Nina Wayne), a buxom gym teacher. Milt fixes Harry up with Ellen, hoping they'll hit it off and Ellen will leave him so he can marry Linda. The ruse works, in part -- Harry and Ellen decide to tie the knot, but in the divorce settlement Ellen gets all the money, and Milt decides marriage to Linda is not all he imagined. Harry and Ellen's happiness proves to be short lived, and she begins to wonder if its too late to give Milt another chance. Jazz great Gerry Mulligan composed the film's musical score; keep an eye peeled for a bit part by a young Harrison Ford. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Luv is based upon a hit play by Murray Schisgal that, while schematic and occasionally obvious, worked because its blend of black humor and traditional comic stylings was refreshing at the time. Onscreen, it’s simply a mess. Elliott Baker has adapted Schisgal very poorly, opening the story up in a trite and wearisome manner by involving a fourth character that was only talked about in the play and by changing locations from the one-set original. The latter is a necessary move for cinema, but it’s handled with little imagination here. Director Clive Donner is admittedly hampered by Baker’s treatment, but he also shows no real interest or even understanding of the piece; the lack of inspiration in his work is almost stifling. Worse, he mishandles a team of three gifted comic actors, seemingly giving no guidance at all. As a result, many scenes are loud, shrill and annoying, and pacing is frequently labored. No one comes out well in Luv, but each of the three leads has a good moment or two, and there’s at least some sort of chemistry between them. Luv was not really a natural for the big screen, but there’s no reason that a perfectly acceptable and moderately entertaining film couldn’t have been made from the material. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Donfeld - Costume Designer, Clive Donner - Director, Carl Kress - Editor, Harold Kress - Editor, Gerry Mulligan - Composer (Music Score), Ben Lane - Makeup, Albert Brenner - Production Designer, Ernest Laszlo - Cinematographer, Gordon Carroll - Producer, Martin Manulis - Producer, Frank A. Tuttle - Set Designer, Geza Gaspar - Special Effects, Elliott Baker - Screenwriter, Murray Schisgal - Play Author
