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.
- Awards
- 5 nominations total
Sidney Clute
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- (as Sid Clute)
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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.
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.
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.
I was born 8 years after this film came out, so I'm a little out of touch with the generation. BUT! Look closely at this film. Sure, it stereotypes hippies and seems a bit out of date. What this film really is becomes a search for one man (Petter Sellers) to find out who he is, and to avoid the traps of life that he suddenly sees as conventional. As Harold Fine, he questions what life and marriage have to offer and he seeks to discover what else is out there. The pot brownie sequence opens up his world to new dimensions, he breaks off his marriage to be with a hippie chick, he drops out, he tries to free himself. Do I relate to Harold Fine? Heck yes! The film mirrors much of Peter Seller's life himself, confunsed, unsure, searching. The scene with his guru cracks me up- Sellers face is priceless as he tries to stop trying and learn who he is.
This film deserves a lot more attention then what it receives. This isn't just a time capsule into the dropout 60s world- it's a good time capsule into soul searching.
This film deserves a lot more attention then what it receives. This isn't just a time capsule into the dropout 60s world- it's a good time capsule into soul searching.
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.
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)
- Runtime
- 1h 32m(92 min)
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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