Une fille dans ma soupe

THERE'S A GIRL IN MY SOUP (3 outta 5 stars) This movie has always had a bad reputation and I could never figure out why. Sure, Peter Sellers has been in much better movies than this... but he's been in lots worse, too. He plays the smarmy, self-absorbed star of a TV gourmet show who enjoys the swinging bachelor life, even as he hits his mid-40s. He meets up with Goldie Hawn, a hip, sexually-liberated young gal of less-than-20 and the sparks, as they say, fly. There are some really funny lines but a lot of missed comedic opportunities as well. To this day I still wonder why there is no big payoff to the wine-tasting scene... after all the time spent trying to teach Goldie that one is supposed to "spit" and not "swallow" I wonder why she doesn't wind up spitting up during a fancy dinner scene. This may not be one of Sellers' best but Goldie Hawn does a fine job... breaking free of the one-dimensional blonde ditz character that she was known for at the time. (She even gets a totally gratuitous nude scene... wow, this must be the '70s!)

Being a HUGE fan of the late great (etc. etc.) Peter Sellers I was really looking forward to There's A Girl In My Soup.

Well............the premise started off strong with Seller as the ladies man who knows what women want to hear and what they need to hear and virtually every female (young and old) simply can't say no to. Considering the age of the movie (34 years and counting and the gratuitous nudity may surprise you) it brought back the free spirit of the 60s'. No condoms, aids, and marijuana was probably considered part of the recommended daily allowance.

While on the way to a party Danver meets a young lady (Goldie Hawn) who has just caught her good for nothing boyfriend in lip lock with another female. Since Ted Bundy was only a boy in 1970 she accepts the invitation to Danver's apartment and the most brilliant dialogue between the two is enjoyed for the next 20 minutes.

Thats when Danver begins to realize that women are not sex objects, but breathing living human beings with emotions. Hawn does spend the night but Sellers chooses to sleep on the couch.

Eventually a healthy relationship happens but despite the two good actors (well, one being the best of the best-Peter Sellers) the chemistry between Danver and Marion is weak. (Hawn had the same problem with Mel Gibson in Bird On A Wire). Goldie has a look on her face like she is kissing her dad and Peter isn't able to hide his boredom either.

When they return from a fabulous vacation in France, Danver finds out to his horror that the tabloids have printed that he and Marion were secretly married and chaos begins.

Thats when screen writer Terence Frisby makes chaos. The terrific conversation that was enjoyed when Hawn and Sellers first met is now followed by two people that are no longer individuals we care about. Hawn in particular now dives into the stereo type dumb blonde (and in an especially unfunny scene when she embarrasses Peter at a wine tasting test but Sellers sharp wit saves the day with a hilarious liner in the elevator on the way back to his apartment) and eventually you just want her to go away. And the ending? I still had both eyebrows raised after the ending credits started to roll.

Recognizing my review as a prejudice approach, I recommend this movie to myself and only true Peter Seller fans. But even they should be warned: this not a Seller's movie in top form.

I love the message in this film; that we don't need to conform to the norms of society to be happy. We don't need to search for life's purpose because there isn't one, we can just be ourselves.

This is a charming, beautifully made drama about an upper class man who thinks he might be envious of the lifestyle of those whom society hasn't moulded into what's expected. It's about a free-spirited girl who thinks she might be envious of being part of a world she finds stuffy and rather ridiculous. Both Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn are perfect as the aging Lothario from a bygone age and the wild child of the sixties.

The story of mismatched lovers from different sides of the tracks is as old as Shakespeare and was used in what seemed to be about half of all the pre-code pictures of the early thirties. The society of the 1970s, when remnants of 1930s mindsets still ran through what is virtually 'modern times' with modern attitudes created two distinct societies happily existing side by side. Sellers' and Hawn's characters get together and embark as tourists in each other's lives. They're both cynical enough to know that this is just a holiday romance but they want to believe that their relationship can really work. Deep down however they're both too selfish to completely jettison their own ways of living and means of finding personal happiness.

Were this a 1930s film it would have either had a cheesy happy ending or a melodramatic tragic tear-jerking shocking denouement. Without giving anything away, the conclusion of this is much more like real life - it just goes on. That's not unsatisfying in fact it has quite a surprisingly optimistic feel.

Maybe because Peter Sellers is known for comedy this is wrongly assumed to be a comedy. Clearly it's not a comedy but despite its cynicism, it is uplifting. It's an intelligent and thoughtful study of an impossible relationship. Peter Sellers was a surprisingly good actor (with a surprisingly hairy back) but most impressive is Goldie Hawn who seems like she'd been acting for decades (with a reassuringly non-hairy back)

I enjoyed this film and am surprised at the low rating (at time of writing).

It's really a Rom-Com of two people totally unsuited to each other, and the rest of the story people have already commented about.

Peter Sellers in this film, oozes smarminess, as the philanderer and gives a very strong performance. There are some excellent scenes here including a pure Inspector Clouseau moment, where Peter Sellers picks up the cases to take them out of the flat/house - hilarious, and worth the watch alone.

I liked the very late 1960's vibe to the picture, but the music/soundtrack missed the mark I thought (who was listening to this type of music in 1970?). Poor Mike d'Abo sings well enough but he can't turn an average tune into Handbags and Gladrags sadly.

Goldie Hawn turns in a decent performance as the young blond air head. This also looks like this was her first major role in a film, and she does get to do her trademark giggle, which fortunately, was limited to just a couple of times. She did go on subsequently, to make many other films. Perhaps her most funniest moment on screen here, was in the lift.

The support cast were adequate, and the boyfriend (Nicky Henson) puts in a decent turn. An actor who I was impressed with, was Peter Sellers's friend Andrew, played by Tony Britton, who with a small part, played it so well.

Whilst here, another very good moment to look out for is when Sellers's character is on television giving his cooking instructions, which is full of double entendre's, not unlike the TV cooks I see nowadays.

Overall a good entertaining movie, and I'll certainly watch it again.

Not sure why it doesn't play in Peoria, apparently, but this is a very funny, clever British comedy. It's set at the end of the "swinging sixties". Peter Sellars is fantastic as the rich, forty-something serial womaniser. The perfectly delectable Goldie Hawn, playing a 19 year American girl in London, is, initially, Sellars' "catch of the day". But the urbane TV food critic can't stop himself from falling for the dizzy American blond.

Humour, pathos, great script, strong performances from the leads and supporting caste.

It's a great film, and the best gag is the very last line.

Try it, you'll like it.