30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia

Pianist Rupert Street (Dudley Moore) is a composer wannabe. His 30th birthday is coming and he wants to get married before then. The only problem is that he has no partner yet. He's off to write a successful stage musical and find the perfect woman to marry. He has six weeks.

I really like the bonkers premise and the many surrealist scenes. It's not quite as funny as it could be. Dudley Moore is mugging as much as he could. It's only slightly funny and I lose the thread of it all. I never get a sense about the man and I don't know if I like him. I get his obsession, but I can't take it that seriously. There should be a defining reason for his obsession. Maybe a gypsy witch cursed him or the good old standard inheritance requirement. Suzy Kendall is the super hot blonde, but she's not contributing much more than that. It's an odd-duck of a British comedy. Dudley Moore fans should check this out.

In the beginning, I actually enjoyed this rather strange little film and then it seemed to run out of gas. Dudley wants to marry before 30 (in a few weeks.) So he proceeds to pursue this new girl, with time taken out to perform to the camera, musical numbers which I enjoyed very much. Then when she leaves the country, he takes off after her. Then a private investigator is hired to follow him. It all is very unbelievable, but enjoyable due to Dudley's childish charm. My main criticism is that the film kind of peters out by the end. But all in all, to forget your own troubles, you can be entertained by Dudley Moore's looney antics here.

Doesn't take long into this movie before it becomes obvious a young Rowan Atkinson must have devoured this film at a tweener. In fact, I bet he hid between the seats to watch multiple showings of it on Saturdays.

Dudley Moore at the piano pulling toidy faces and singing like a git. Moore in front of the mirror pulling faces and singing in a falsetto. His rubbery, put-upon mannerisms. Black Adder and Mr. Bean are all hear in protean form.

I don't know whether this is the funniest thing I've ever seen. It was probably a lot funnier to the Brits in 1968. But it's an interesting snapshot in the career of one of England's most celebrated comics. And a harmless way to kill 90 minutes. I suggest it holds up a lot better than his two most celebrated movies: Arthur, when being shytfaced drunk 'round the clock was considered super-hilarious. And 10, when stalking super-hot and completely unattainable women was considered charming.

Started watching this in the 11PM hour, but of course by the time it was over, it was well past midnight- so the 23rd. But it still counts as a March 22nd viewing, since that's when it started, right?

Anyways, I REALLY enjoyed this! Very fun and pleasant, and just silly enough to make one forget about being serious for the time, which was such a relief, actually!

I'd totally recommend this movie for fans of comedies and romcoms- especially those of the 1960s. Great cast too! But, SPOILER: there is no Cynthia in this movie that I recall, so the title is nonsense. However, the title is actually what made me want to watch this, so I can't complain. It's just like WHAT THE HECK though?! Haha!

Oh, and this is also another in my Joan Jett connected movies, because just like Joan, the lead character's birthday is in September, and like Joan, the lead character is a Virgo. And in one scene, all of that was mentioned together, along with a mention of Marie Curry and Joan of Arc- of all people! It just so happens that Joan's middle name is Marie, so the whole scene was basically referencing her! Filing this under Godwinks! :-)

"30 Is A Dangerous Age, Cynthia" shares a producer (Walter Shenson) with the Beatles' "Help!" and runs along the same lines as well - the flimsy so-called plot is merely an excuse for endless musical segments, fantasy sequences and comic gags. It's very clear from the beginning how things are going to turn out for our hero (Dudley Moore as Rupert Street), and even moments of worry or conflict for the characters pass very quickly or are made humorous. Several chances for drama are wasted - much like Rupert's own musical, you could imagine that this movie began life with some thought and delicacy that was discarded in favour of more harmless frolic. Well, it's undeniably full of that, with its swinging 60's colour, fun and music. The detective who fancies himself an American-style "private dick" with appropriate voiceovers is very funny, as is Eddie Foy Jr. as Oscar, Rupert's endlessly scheming agent. Those who are looking for something along the lines of "Bedazzled" (ie. the Moore/Cook version, a personal favourite of mine) will likely be disappointed with the fluffy non-plot and lack of anything resembling drama (not to mention the absence of Peter Cook's witty scripting). However, this really is a must-see for Dudley Moore fans - the imaginary bits display him in a vast array of costumed guises, and he performs several of his self-penned songs in their entirety. If you're just looking for a bit of "Help!"-style silly fun, you'll enjoy this one.