IMDb RATING
6.2/10
3.6K
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A thirty-something square falls in love with a hippie and decides to "drop out" himself.A thirty-something square falls in love with a hippie and decides to "drop out" himself.A thirty-something square falls in love with a hippie and decides to "drop out" himself.
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- 5 nominations total
Sidney Clute
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- (as Sid Clute)
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This is a very funny send up of the flower child generation. Peter Sellers plays an uptight, Jewish lawyer who falls for one of his hippie brother's girlfriends. After that, he descends into hippiedom. The film is filled with some of the funniest scenes around. The funniest part of the movie is Sellers as a hippie with hair down around his cheeks and psychedelic clothing, but still wearing horn-rimmed glasses. The musical score, which uses sitars as satire, is really great, too. It's very much worth seeing, although it overstays its welcome. Its humorous observations (and imaginations) about hippies get a bit repetitive in the film's second half. 8/10.
Harold Fine (Peter Sellers) is an uptight lawyer, a member of the Establishment. His longtime girlfriend Joyce finally has pinned Harold down on a wedding date, and his life seems to be settling down. But wait! Harold meets Nancy, a friend of his hippie brother, at a family funeral. Turned on by her free thinking, free loving, and free living, Harold leaves Joyce at the altar to be with Nancy. He drops out of society and into hippiedom! Sellers isn't the most likely person to play this role, but he's very good in it. Leigh Taylor-Young, as Nancy, is positively ravishing. The movie takes you back to the late sixties, even if you've never been there. All the sights and sounds are lovingly created by director Hy Averback. And the script! Nearly every aspect of counterculture society in the late sixties is covered, and there's hardly a stagnant scene. In particular, the wild parties at Harold's apartment and the scene where the policeman come upon Harold and Nancy in the backseat of his car are real gems.
Entertaining film with lots of 60's memories like psychedelic cars, hip, cool, groovy lingo, long hair wigs, and, naturally....pot. Mr. Uptight just couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to be a straight or be hip, which caused him to alienate himself from both circles. Fun and funny picture.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Hy Averback said in an interview that one day Peter Sellers refused to shoot a scene until a crew member standing off camera changed clothes. The superstitious Sellers claimed the outfit was the "wrong color". Shooting had to stop while they went to wardrobe and got a different color outfit for the crew member.
- GoofsCops stop the psychedelic hippie hearse right in front of the same supermarket that is seen in background several miles back when they began pursuing vehicle in the opposite direction.
- Quotes
Nancy: Your attitude is very unhip.
Harold: My attitude is unhip? Don't give me that. Don't - listen, I'm probably the hippest guy around here. I got a house full of strangers. I got cats, I got dogs, I got pot, I got acid, I got LSD cubes. I've got this thing here. Don't tell me about hip. I am so hip it hurts. That's how hip I am.
Nancy: It's very unhip to say you're hip, Harold.
Harold: And it's very unhip of you to tell me that I am unhip.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film (2002)
- SoundtracksI Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
(1968) (uncredited)
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Lyrics by Larry Tucker and Paul Mazursky
Arranged by Bob Thompson
Performed by Harpers Bizarre
- How long is I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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