Main Cast: Jack Lemmon, Catherine Deneuve, Peter Lawford, Jack Weston, Myrna Loy
Release Year: 1969
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
Plot
Virtually the first third of The April Fools takes place at a trendy party held by sharkish executive Ted Gunther (Peter Lawford). It is here that Howard Brubaker (Jack Lemmon), one of Gunther's employees, makes the acquaintance of the boss' lovely young trophy wife Catherine (Catherine Deneuve). It happens that Brubaker is unhappily wed to Phyllis (Sally Kellerman, who gives an excellent performance in an essentially one-note role) and that Catherine is equally unhappy in her relationship with Gunther. The two lost souls run off together, planning to fly to Paris. There's approximately 25 minutes' worth of plot in The April Fools; much of the leftover time is eaten up by a protracted drunken-driving sequence involving suburban hubbies Lemmon, Jack Weston, Harvey Korman and Kenneth Mars, and by a lengthy episode featuring Charles Boyer and Myrna Loy as a robust, free-thinking elderly married couple. Some good dialogue, notably Lemmon's shaggy-dog story about goldfish and Chinese food, cannot hide the slightness of the piece. Still, a great many filmgoers were charmed by The April Fools. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Positively drenched in the 1960s, The April Fools is extraordinarily dated -- but this is a plus as well as a minus for viewers with an appetite for that decade. Those who delight in the styles, fads, and fashions of the day will find a great deal to enjoy here, especially during the lengthy party sequence that opens the film (and features an almost surreal '60s version of "I Say a Little Prayer for You") and the chicks-in-a-cage nightclub segment. The sense of era also permeates the script, meaning that there's some tasty dialogue mixed in with a great deal of vapid philosophizing, weak one-liners, and ineffective attempts to capture a genuine freedom of spirit. Catherine Deneuve looks gorgeous and has some affecting moments, but, overall, her performance is disappointingly hesitant and rather shallow. (By contrast, Sally Kellerman makes her clichéd part feel much fuller than it has any right to be.) Best of all is Jack Lemmon, delivering another of his deeply felt performances that is both touching and hilarious -- and, at times, chillingly sad. The supporting cast is top notch, and the title song is classic Bacharach and David. Stuart Rosenberg's direction is rather muddled, but Fools' biggest problem is the screenplay. Still, watching the movie as a time capsule rather than a film can be quite illuminating -- and fun. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Charles Boyer - Andre Greenlaw; Harvey Korman - Benson; Melinda Dillon - Leslie Hopkins; Kenneth Mars - Les Hopkins; Janice Carroll - Mimsy Shrader; David F. Doyle - Walters; Gary Dubin - Stanley Brubaker; Susan Barrett - Party Singer; Dee Gardner - Secretary; Tom Aheame - Doorman; Nancy Howard - Connie Archer; Sally Kellerman - Phyllis Brubaker
Credit
Robert Luthardt - Art Director, Hank Moonjean - First Assistant Director, Stuart Rosenberg - Director, Bob Wyman - Editor, Burt Bacharach - Composer (Music Score), Hal David - Composer (Music Score), Marvin Hamlisch - Composer (Music Score), Burt Bacharach - Songwriter, Hal David - Songwriter, Richard Sylbert - Production Designer, Michel Hugo - Cinematographer, Gordon Carroll - Producer, William Kiernan - Set Designer, Larry Jost - Sound/Sound Designer, Hal Dresner - Screen Story, Hal Dresner - Screenwriter
Howard Brubaker (Lemmon) is married to Phyllis, who doesn't love him. Catherine (Deneuve) is the stunning wife of an equally uncaring husband, Howard's boss Ted. At a house party hosted by Ted, Ted urges Howard to pick up an available woman at the party and proceeds to show him how. Howard reluctantly tries it on Catherine, who instantly accepts. The two find their marriages are loveless and decide to run away together.
Cast
As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):
