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This is one of my favorite movies about Los Angeles. It has everything.

Gorgeous locations on the beach, stunningly beautiful actors, a brilliant and witty script full of hilarious, exageratted incidents which are nevertheless typical of LA.

It is not only funny but engaging, the plot is interesting. It was even better the second time I saw it on the big screen, where it is best seen.

I was totally captivated by this film.

I find this film much wittier and funnier, for example, than "Some Like It Hot", also with Curtis, and I find Sharon Tate much sexier than Monroe in that film.

The plot is a bit crazy but compeletely believable and consistent with itself and reality; as a comedy it falls in the exagerrated or surrealistic category, only slightly dark because of the various difficulties that beset the hero.

Above all it is a brilliant comment on Los Angeles of the sixties and is still valid in the 2000's. An overlooked gem, a great cast, which may work best for those who have lived in LA.

Another film like this, with good LA locations, less comedy more suspense, is "Into the Night".

Tony Curtis made alot of bad movies around this time, but DON'T MAKE WAVES is one of his better films. Here Curtis, as Carlo, is a southern Californian who's life is turned upside down when his car with all of his worldly possessions is accidentally destroyed by the beautiful Claudia Cardinale. Taking pity on Carlo, she takes him to her apartment. Sugar daddy (Robert Webber) soon shows up and promptly throws Carlo out. Having had enough, Carlo takes his circumstances and newfound information and turns them into a grand lifestyle. The usually funny Joanna Barnes turns in a sobering performance as Webber's neglected wife. Bodybuilding title holder Dave Draper is very good as not too bright musclebound Harry. It is the late Sharon Tate's performance as Malibu, Harry's on again off again sky diving girlfriend that is the real find in this movie. She's gorgeous, sexy, and about as swift as Harry. Feeling overlooked by Harry and his muscle buddies, she deadpans to Curtis, "If you were a man, would you find me attractive?" Title song performed by THE BYRDS. The rest of the score was done by Vic Mizzy, who also did the music to GREEN ACRES. In case you wondered why the music had a familiar ring to it, that's the reason. Fair amount of cameos by movie & TV stars. Look for Edgar Bergen, Jim Backus......and others.

New Yorker Carlo Cofield (Tony Curtis) is driving in southern California. He encounters flighty Italian Laura Califatti (Claudia Cardinale) who accidentally sets his car on fire destroying all his worldly possessions. He asks for her insurance but she offers a place to stay instead. Her patron Rod Prescott (Robert Webber) shows up and kicks him out. Carlo is forced to sleep on the beach and Malibu (Sharon Tate) saves him from drowning. He pushes his way into Prescott's company as the high priced pool salesman. He also discovers that Prescott is married to Diane (Joanna Barnes). He schemes to break up Malibu from her muscle bound boyfriend Harry.

I don't really like Carlo. The world is transitioning outside. The muscle beach concept is a little fun if a little silly. This feels like two stories smashed into one. I think Carlo as a fish out of water in the California beach lifestyle holds good possibilities. As for the other half with Cardinale and Webber, that should be the love triangle if that's the story for the movie. The movie needs to cut out one side or the other. The combination becomes a mess. Also, Carlo schemes too much for my liking for the lead. I don't want him to end up with anyone. Overall, I don't find much funny in this comedy.

A very flaky comedy, a perplexing mix of moods involving Southern California hustler Tony Curtis with an accident prone actress, her married lover, and an assortment of beach bums and bunnies. A curiously lackadaisical pace, an almost dream-like non-focus, and the blithe, throwaway performances don't especially give the proceedings an edge, but they do help the movie stand out from other films in this genre. But what genre is it exactly? It isn't a laugh-out loud comedy, it isn't a character study, it isn't brainless but neither is it particularly witty. Just an occasional big laugh, and it certainly looks good. Sharon Tate gets an "introducing" credit, just as she did on "Eye Of The Devil" released the year before. Her role as "Malibu" is utterly undemanding, but still it's nice to see her having fun. ** from ****

'Don't Make Waves' was hardly one of those films that was doomed from the outset. Tony Curtis' film career was spotty but he was always appealing enough, and the same can be said for Claudia Cardinale. Sharon Tate in my predictions would have become a bigger star if she hadn't been so brutally murdered in one of the most shocking mass murder sprees in history. Also like to love Alexander Mackendrick's previous work, especially 'Sweet Smell of Success' and 'The Ladykillers'.

While it is watchable enough and has some good things, 'Don't Make Waves' didn't really do much for me regrettably. Curtis' career was, or at least his film choices were, particularly hit and miss at this time of which this was a middling project for him, and as far as Mackendrick's films go 'Don't Make Waves' is a lesser effort of his and not a particular fair representation of him. Actually find it a little sad that a promising director ended his film directing career on what is actually a contender for his worst film.

There are certainly good things here. The film looks great (excepting the more stock moments not always being seamlessly incorporated), very artfully shot without trying to be overly clever and quite vibrant. The music is quite infectious, easy on the ears and doesn't feel tacky or like it belong, while the title song epitomises charm. 'Don't Make Waves' starts off very promisingly, very good-natured and amusing.

It also finishes great, the climactic sliding house sequence is quite thrilling and holds up impressively. The cast do more than gamely, while Curtis is very likeable and Cardinale likewise the one that makes the biggest impression is Tate, who is both sensual and witty.

However, 'Don't Make Waves' is pretty all over the place when it comes to the story. The mishmash of genres, some meandering aimlessness and quite muddled structure gave off a weirdly wacky feel and rather suggestive of the film never being sure what it wanted to be. The pace can suffer too, it starts off great and it picks up in the climactic moments but in between the energy sags. Some of the pace is fine, some of it is dull, while there are still amusing moments between the start and climax in some places the strangeness gets a bit over the top.

Also felt that Mackendrick's direction was disappointing pedestrian and only workmanlike in its best moments. There are some good-natured and witty moments in the script, but too much of it falls on the wrong side of cheesy. The rest of the cast other than the mentioned three never rise above just getting the job done level.

Summing up, not bad but not particularly good. 5/10