How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life

I found it incredible that fewer than 5 people have voted on this film, as of Oct. 2000. It did reasonably well at the box office and is an enjoyable comedy. This film will appeal to fans of the Rock Hudson and Doris Day comedies of the same era and the plot contains just a pinch more sex dialogue.

The cast is excellent and Dean Martin is as gifted in comedy (please disregard the Jerry Lewis films) as he is a singer. The title song is catchy and worth an extra voting point. The plot concerns bachelor Dean Martin trying to save Eli Wallach's marriage and, of course, creating more problems and confusion. So ditch Rock and watch Dean instead.

Despite being a 30 year old dyed-in-the-wool film buff when this was released I don't remember hearing about it.That despite being a huge fan of Dean Martin and his "playboy" sensibility at the time. (Still am.) This was approximately the period when the country's sense of humor slowly began to change to that of irony and sarcasm.In less than 10 years it would be David Letterman, the Smothers Brothers, and Saturday Night Live.The humor extant in this film would be relegated to dreary TV sitcoms. Dean holds his own with Eli Wallach (no easy feat) and he really seems to be working a little harder than usual to get the laughs.While I'm not familiar with Stella Stevens' body of work (no pun intended)if this is representative then she bears closer examination(again no pun intended). The best way to put it? This is 1968's version of those great screwball comedies that dominated the 30's and early 40's and it doesn't do too badly by comparison.

A film that is, at times, brilliantly funny and, at other times, mean spirited, "How to Save a Marriage" has many things going for it, including:

Tight writing that interweaves complex, comedic misunderstandings.

Strong casting, including the stars Stella Stevens and Dean Martin, and others like Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, and Betty Field ("Picnic").

Some notable fashions that adorn the beautiful Ms. Stevens.

This is a prototypical film of the sixties, a battle of the sexes that helps codify the lines of conflict, though it goes too far. As Dean is dragged deeper and deeper into a quagmire of his own making, we might ask: is he getting what he deserves or is he a victim of his own good intentions? The film never clarifies that issue, seeming to equate his character's values with those of the other male characters, who range from benign to predatory. More subtlety might have been achieved with an actor like Jack Lemmon.

Ms. Stevens, in a role written for Marilyn Monroe, comes close to achieving the naivete cum sensuality that Ms. Monroe brings to her performances.

The ending of the film is awkward, if not a cop out. But I still recommend this film for its genuine depiction of the gender war-with all its confusion-of the sixties.

This is a very well written movie. I missed the very beginning. I wasn't prepared for the articulate war of the sexes theme. Some people might consider it too talky. At times it sounded like a George Bernard Shaw play. Sometimes it seemed that Dino was sleepwalking and this much wordplay was a little too much for him. Perhaps the interesting dimensions owe something to the participation of Wallach his wife. Movies from this period project a particular mise en scene of imperial America at its zenith of hubris and naivitee. The characters Martin and Wallach play are unselfconsciously "upper class" and enjoy the life of extreme privilege without any consideration if they deserve their good fortune. The US was up to its neck in Vietnam at the time and modern consumer society was being born. A nice old chestnut from a time we can remember fondly but not aspire to emulate.

Dean Martin shows his comedic talents in these fast laugh a minute comedy written by the author of Pillow Talk and That Touch Of Mink. It deserves to be re-released. Stella Stevens looks terrific. It just goes to show you that you don't need a large cast to produce a good comedy and this one is better than just good. I'm looking forward to seeing it again.