Come salvare un matrimonio e rovinare la propria vita

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.

May I give a bit of advice to millenials and anyone under 50? Please stop watching films that were made before you were a twinkle in your father's eye. No, really. I am serious. It's good advice.

This film was made 50 years ago. That's half a century ago. In that amount of time things have changed so much you'd think two centuries have passed, not half. Trust me. I went through that change.

Unless you were born ten years before this film was made you could not possibly understand the mentality of the time, much less enjoy the humor.

Unless you are really open-minded andand can therefore make allowances for how things were half a century ago, just stick to films that were made no earlier than the year 2000.

So next time you watch an old film, try to take it in stride, instead of insisting on telling everybody how dated/sexist/un-PC it is.

Of course it is, Dr. Obvious. It was made half a century ago.

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.

Frothy comedy of multiple misunderstandings. An artifact of a different time but performed with zest by a capable cast. Stella Stevens is delightful radiating enough charm to fuel several movies, how she didn't become a bigger star is a mystery. It seems the kind of films in which she excelled were fading from popularity just as she was reaching the point in her career where she would have been the choice to lead them, a pity and a waste of an excellent talent. Even though the subject of the film is marital infidelity it is viewed with an innocent outlook which makes it similar to several of the other big hits of the sixties such as Move Over, Darling and That Touch of Mink. Aside from Stella the rest of the cast from Dino down give light enjoyable performances never taking the proceedings too seriously. If the viewer doesn't either they will find this a pleasant diversion.

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.