Le baiser papillon

I Love You Alice B. Toklas is one nostalgic film, especially for those who partook in the hippie movement. It expresses some of the joy and frustrations of what it entails.

Peter Sellers is your 40 something Jewish lawyer from Los Angeles who has put off matrimony, concentrating on work and material success. Now he's ready to take the plunge with Joyce Van Patten and nothing thrills his parents Salem Ludwig and Jo Van Fleet than to see their son final settle down.

But a chance encounter with hippie chick Leigh Taylor-Young on the Freeway where she's hitchhiking and he tunes in, turns on, and drops out. The second is the most important when after a night of some wild sex Taylor- Young gives him some of those marijuana laced brownies so popular in the day. Even his fiancé and parents partake and the result is the most hilarious scene in the film.

I suppose that people have to have a fling at something equivalent of hippie when they're young. Sad to say there is a time when one has to buckle down and assume a few responsibilities for yourself. If we all could be hippies that would be nice, but we all never will be. It was no accident that they were called flower 'children'.

Which brings me to the ending of this film. Sellers eventually has issue with Taylor-Young and they split, but can't commit to his former life and the relationships therein. Director Hy Averback gives us a happy ending which is both funny and yet sad in a way because we really don't know what Sellers will do because he doesn't know himself. I feared the worst for Peter.

A nice cast supports Sellers and Jo Van Fleet has to be singled out as the ultimate Jewish mother. Also take note of Herb Edelman as Sellers brother-in-law, confidante, and a rebound man from way back.

Nice film. Too bad we aren't all hippies. And it would have to be all of us to make it work.

I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! is probably my definitive 60s romp.

This movie has so many classic comic moments, I don't know where to begin. It was written by Paul Mazursky and might just be the high point of his illustrious career.

In between great stuff like where Howard, his fiancee and Jewish parents unwittingly eat pot brownies and the scene where Howard's scene turns into a bummer, there's some decent commentary of the hypocricies of the 60s. Plus a focused Sellars performance as Harold Fine with some great Jewish humor.

I'm tempted to quote this movie non-stop.

If you are any kind of fan of Peter Sellars, I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.

I saw this in '68 when I was about in the same place Harold Fine was, in his social development. I was already married and had kids though. At the time of its release this seemed like an important movie. It was funny and satiric but it ended in a positive note for someone ready to drop out. If we'd only known where that was going to lead, but it was fun for a time.

I'm so glad I revisited this over 40 years later (yikes!!) Some of the film I remembered as if I saw it yesterday. Some scenes I had no recollection of. Peter Sellers is marvelous and the rest of the cast is fine. It is a time capsule of a film and really blends film styles. It has a definite TV flavor. Hy Averback mostly worked in TV so that's not a surprise. The film though, is authentic to the time and it was fun to watch for this old hippie.

Peter Seller's (modern) comedy is set in early 70's California. In many ways, this coming of age comedy is the story of Peter Sellers. Leaving his wife for the single life and "swinging" with several women until marrying his 5th or 6th wife, Sellers kept moving, searching for something else. Much like the final scene, Sellers is seen alone running after the unknown as he continues to find himself. While this is a comedy, the movie has many (hidden) dramas among the mix of laughter and jokes. Also, the movie uses many stereotypes to get laughs. Not that PC for today's audience, it is still funny. Having 10 Mexicans in 1 car, having the Jewish family ask how much the bumper cost at the garage, the hippies preaching peace and the yuppies talking about sex all get laughs in this Peter Sellers comedy.

One of the best comedies of the 1960s and one of the most subversive as well...it's difficult to believe that Warner Bros. released I LOVE YOU ALICE B. TOKLAS. Peter Sellers, in his most American role, plays Harold Fine, an uptight mama's boy putting off any commitment to girlfriend Joyce Van Patten. He falls head over heels for free-spirited Leigh Taylor Young and all hell breaks loose. Sellers is brilliant, Van Patten is pretty funny, and Taylor-Young is striking. The movie is nearly stolen by Jo Van Fleet as Sellers mother, a shrike to be sure, and hysterical eating a "special" brownie. She's priceless...once again giving a great performance as a character of a substantially more advanced age...she was 54 playing 43 year old Sellers mother! Hy Averback's direction is clever and the film is filled with a lot of funny gags...a highlight is Sellers and crew driving ALL OVER Los Angeles in search of a funeral.