User reviews

***Possible Spoilers*** OK, the overall plot does unfortunately suffer from a heavy dose of implausibility. However, if you're willing to suspend your disbelief and simply enjoy the ride from the outset, including the whole look and feel of the '60's (I was born in this decade, and always love living it vicariously through films), the clothes, her adorable apartment (I notice more of the interior design of her apartment with every viewing), and of course, above all else, their tender love story and the road on which Dennis' character leads Newley's, you'll be in for a very real treat. I can be a very harsh critic when films are set in "reality" but clearly have a very implausible storyline, but I make an exception with this film. It's unfortunate, but I have heard/read somewhere that Anthony Newley and Sandy Dennis did not get along at all during the making of this film. That fact alone is a testament to the strength of their performances, because their chemistry was so wonderful on screen. I was never much of an Anthony Newley fan prior to seeing this film, because I was too little during his heyday, and never really took to "children's films" during that time either, such as The Chocolate Factory and Dr. Doolittle. However, in this film, he was absolutely charming.

***SPOILER COMING***The scene in her bedroom loft in which he professes his love for her is one of the most genuine and tender love scenes (conversation only) I've ever seen on film. Whenever I watch this scene, I feel as if I were truly eavesdropping on a very private conversation between two people. Newley's slight mockery of Dennis' knack for going wackily off-subject during this conversation was just a beautiful little dance of dialog. He is just SO English!...he's adorable. Also, it was sweet to notice his first having a very hard time climbing the "stairs" in her apartment, but, toward the end of his "month", he's mastering them with finesse, without even needing to clutch the side railings. Finally, the "1,000 Novembers" he wants to give her make you hope that she will take him up on his offer, once and for all.

Beneath the storied romance of this movie, and Newley's beautiful, tender charm, there is an underlying message provided in large part by Sandy Dennis' character and brilliant performance. Though her character on surface appears to be very much of a free spirit, heavy on whimsy and light on logic, she is the one who makes the stronger impression on Newley than he on her, seemingly, at least, effecting more change in him than he in her. She slowly leads him to look at life as well as his role in it in a different manner, and his character is forever enriched as a result.

If you haven't seen this film, find it (you can get it on Amazon on VHS....I wish they'd offer it on DVD), make yourself a cup of tea, curl up under the covers, listen to this story and watch these characters. "Sweet November" is very touching....tender, sad, romantic, and warmly moving.

Sweet November is a charming enough quirk fest than can sometimes grate, cause a chuckle, and move you in the span of 5 minutes. You're always sort of on guard when you watch this movie. It all starts with a stuffy box company worker named Charlie (singer Anthony Newley) gets pushed out of his driver's test when a quirky young woman named Sara (Sandy Dennis) asks him for some answers. Instead of being appalled and angry at this woman, Charlie hangs out with her for a little while and discovers her to be another in a long line of Manic Pixie Dream Girls who could only exist in Hollywood fiction. They agree to continue to spend time together only for Charlie to realize that Sara wants him to be her man of the month. She has a habit of dating men for a month, trying to improve them and then releasing them into the wild. But what will happen if they fall madly in love?

Sweet November sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Sandy Dennis' performance ranges from shrill to charming to bizarre to adorable to heartbreaking and back again. It's an odd performance, but I can't say I've ever seen anything like it. Anthony Newley does better than expected as Charlie, but there is something off puttingly smug about him at times that makes you want to slap him.

What starts out as an amusing rom com tries to go into melodramatic weepie territory towards the end and it doesn't really work. I'll give them this much - at least it doesn't end with an unearned death to tug at the viewer's heartstrings. In fact, the film ends on an impressively mature and thoughtful note that took me by surprise.

I never intended watching Sweet November. I'd never even heard of it. I was flicking through the channels and it just leaped out and grabbed me. I don't what it was, the wonderful, light, witty dialogue that reminded me of Noel Coward at his best, or the tangible chemistry between Sandy Dennis and Anthony Newley. Whatever it was I just couldn't stop watching. It was like snuggling up with someone you love on a windswept winters night or shuffling through fallen autumn leaves. Watching this film filled me with a wonderful inner glow and I loved it.

Although "Sweet November" features Sandy Dennis and Anthony Newley in the leads, the real stars of this picture turn out to be the talented art directors--and also that amazing New York City skyline, circa 1967. Plush romantic comedy is weighted with flibbertigibbet whimsy and sentiment, however it looks good enough to eat. The pathos are never too annoying because the look of the film (and also the music score by Michel Legrand) is so inviting. Opening with one of those fabulous aerial shots of the Big Apple which marked many a theatrical feature and TV series intro in the 1960s, we soon meet Newley as a British box manufacturer and Dennis playing a 23-year-old landlord (they have a meet-cute at the DMV!). After some 20 minutes of colorless exposition, Dennis discloses her romantic situation: she takes one lover a month into her cozy abode, helping to mold the man's character before sending him on his way. Newley quickly agrees to be Mr. November, yet we never learn what attracts him to Dennis. Yes, she's rather adorable in a flaky, distracted sort of way, though her noodle-headed ramblings--mixed with sure-handed chatter about minute things like hardware and pigeons--would surely send most bachelors in the opposite direction. The heart of the story seems to go missing, as screenwriter Herman Raucher introduces other kooky characters while inching us toward a romantic showdown between the protagonists (the film is preconceived to be a valentine without getting the ingredients right). Dennis and Newley (a curious yet effective screen match) approach the wafty material carefully, and both are attractive and likable, but Newley plays his lines for laughs while Dennis is perhaps too rigid or prim. Their performances improve in the second-half, but what exactly is the girl teaching this huffy businessman...to reconnect with his inner-child? Perhaps living 'free' makes for less inhibitions in the bedroom, but the movie is too coy and glossy to discuss sex in a grown-up manner. It's a valentine all right, and a little soft in the middle. **1/2 from ****

British businessman Charlie Blake (Anthony Newley) meets Sara Deever (Sandy Dennis) at the department of motor vehicles in New York City. She's 23. He's older. She has a 'program' where she tries to fix a man over a month. He is to be her project for the month of November.

Sandy Dennis is playing the Manic Pixie Dream Girl role. Her problem is that she's not 23. She doesn't need to declare her age and it would be better to skip that part. As for Blake, it would be helpful for him to have a specific flaw to fix. Unless being a stuffy Brit is the flaw and quite frankly, he doesn't come off that stuffy. He's British. Is she trying to make him not British? It would be easier if he's a greedy materialistic capitalist and she gives him humanity. The premise has fun potential but the audience needs to see it. There are some funny bits but they're not big enough laughs. As a comedy, I want more than whimsy. As for the romance, I want Charlie to have more invested in the beginning than an one month hookup. I feel that it would be more romantic if he is interested in her 'program'. I wonder if a bet could be incorporated. While the premise is intriguing, there is something a little off with this as a rom-com. Its darker tones is both intriguing and perplexing.

I saw this picture when it came out, and to this day I still call a carpenter's level a "stick with a bubble in it", and still use "Hurry Hurry, Ding Ding" in my vocabulary. If this movie is available anywhere on video I would love to have a copy; I have been looking for years. Simply a wonderful, 4-Kleenexer. I am glad there are others who remember it fondly.

This odd 1960s film stars Anthony Newley and Sandy Dennis and is a perfect memory of a talented twosome. The story is fairly unusual - Charlie Blake, the uptight English manufacturer of boxes of the six-sided variety, meets Sara, a free spirit who lets apartments and collects and cures men with problems.

Sandy Dennis has the perfect nervy personality as Sara, while Newley has fun as Charlie, visiting Monty's Mod Emporium to buy horrible sweaters, writing poems, and falling for the girl. Light on story but high on sentiment, 'Sweet November' is a lovely piece of escapism.

Remade in the 1990s with Keanu Reeves, badly, this original version may look dated but is still well worth a look.

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to learn I have kindred spirits out there who love Sweet November as I do. I don't know a soul who's even heard of this movie, let alone counts it among their favorites. Thanks to divine providence, I caught this little treasure while channel surfing in the wee, small hours of the morning over 20 years ago. Everything about it was magical--the charming Greenwich Village-y coach house setting, Michel Legrand's lush background music, the unusual premise, but, of course, above all, the actors. Sandy Dennis is just right as the beguiling Sara Deever..."partly woman, but mostly child." The supporting cast was wonderful, especially Theodore Bikel. But it was Anthony Newley as the tender, oh-so- endearing "wisenheimer" Charlie Blake that stole my heart and made this movie unforgettable. When he lays "a thousand Novembers" at Sara's feet begging her to let him stay forever...well, the lump in my throat was the size of a goose egg. I was so saddened by Mr. Newley's untimely death, but just as Charlie whispers to Sara at the end, I, too,..."will always remember."

It was serendipitous that I came across this after recently re-watching Harold and Maude (1971) because I was immediately saw the similarity in themes and plot line, and even wondered if there wasn't some direct influence involved.

The philosophical, boundary-pushing romance has a pre-Boomer-era script that is literate, decent and well-crafted. It's set in a holistic, aesthetically beautiful New York which was itself on the brink of extinction, adding to the poignancy of the story and its sense of nostalgia and loss. As in Harold and Maude, the spiritual theme elevates this movie above the level of a sentimental romance and gives it some memorable power.

As stuffed with fluff as any piece of taxidermy you're likely to encouter this side of Fiji, "Sweet November" is the quintessential teddy bear film. It wants to be all cute and cuddly and kind of squishy in the middle. Herman Rauscher's script-a document best handled at arm's length with a pair of forceps while wearing a gas mask-begins life as a screwball comedy. About halfway through it notices that it isn't very funny and decides to become "La Traviata" instead. Exactly when you're supposed to go all warm and fuzzy inside is announced in no uncertain tones by Michelle Legrand's score, which coagulates into syrup at the appropriate moments. It gives me heartburn.

Until such time as prohibited by international law, the ferry scene, when shown repeatedly for a matter of hours to the forcibly restrained viewer, could prove an invaluable asset to our intelligence services as a means of extracting testimony from uncooperative witnesses. It opens with the two lovebirds cooing over the New York Times crossword puzzle on board the ferry. In Charlie's edition he has scrawled Sara's name everywhere he can squeeze it in. Making goo-goo eyes at her, he reveals his solution to the puzzle, twittering, "A four-letter word for wonderful...Sara. A four-letter word for magnificent...Sara. A four letter word for..."etc. Before the camera pans, Sara is choking back tears and flinging her arms around Charlie accompanied by a crescendo of mushy music. As you watch the scene progress, it grows increasingly more difficult to overcome the impression that you are sinking into a pit of lukewarm oatmeal. The complexion turns green, the eyes roll back in their sockets, and the teeth begin to chatter. At this stage, it is imprerative to keep reminding yourself that you are NOT going to swallow your tongue. It is only a matter of time before the convulsions subside, free breathing is restored, and you can scream again. Coprophilia, infanticide, matricide, high treason, the Kennedy assassination, even-God save us-enjoying "The Jerry Springer Show"-it really makes no difference. After two hours of the ferry scene you'll confess to anything.

If it never soars on the wings of the dove, "Sweet November" never hits bottom either despite the soggy script. Buoyant performances by the cast, particularly the two lead actors, keep it afloat. Sandy Dennis (mostly teeth) redeems this strain of comedy as well as anyone and can produce two Tony awards won in similar roles as credentials. Her touch makes silly phrases like "hurry, hurry ding-ding" dance. Anthony Newley (mostly eyebrows) brings a gift for comedy and the ability to meld the pragmatic CEO and the mischievous imp with the sheepish grin into one character. At times Newley's eyebrows seem to be leading a life of their own. They rush up and down his forehead like two ferrets chasing a hare, occasionally leaping off his face altogether.

As the credits roll whether the taste left in your mouth is one of vibrant emotionality or cheesy sentimentality will be determined by your sweet tooth and tolerance for banality. If you like Debbie Reynolds, crave chocolate ice cream smothered in chocolate syrup, and can blubber your way through three boxes of Kleenex watching "Love Story"--this is your ticket. Close your eyes, click your heels together, and repeat three times, "There's no place like the perfume department at Nordstrom's." However, to the more sensitive soul, who reacts to the kind of verse found in flowery greeting cards by breaking out in hives, extreme caution is advised.

A real "feel good" movie with a very moving ending! Newley and Dennis are matched perfectly (but did not get on with each other behind the camera, Ms Dennis apparently didn't always behave like a lady!)and show off their acting talents to the full. Good support from Theodore Bikel. The ending title song was written by Bricusse and Newley and sung by the inimitable Mr Newley! Great movie, keep the hankies at the ready! Paul Goodhead - Anthony Newley Appreciation Society (President).

When Anthony Newley passed away in 1999 I was disappointed,to say the least,at the lack of television tributes that would normally accompany such an event.A brief note at the end of Eastenders was the best that the BBC could muster.The one exception,somewhat suprisingly,came from the fledgling Channel 5 and took the form of a showing of the film Sweet November.I must confess that at the time I had not heard of this film and it was only by chance that I happened to be over at My brother,s house at the moment of its broadcast.For the following two hours I sat mesmerised by a film that represents for me,the very best work that Newley ever did within the medium of film.The opening minutes of the film offer little indication of the true nature of what is to follow,as an unfashionably clad,and strangely uptight Anthony Newley has a chance encounter with a free spirited young lady,who epitomises all that the rigidly conventional Mr Newley would appear to despise.These opening scenes are possibly the most demanding on the viewer,as representing conventional characters came about as easily to Anthony Newley as it does now to Jack Nicholson,or Dennis Hopper.As the storyline unfolds however,the viewer is taken on board a magical rollercoaster of alternating pain and whimsy as the process of liberation,initiated by the promise of a transient love,brings both spiritual regeneration and inconsolable loss to Anthony Newley,s urban changeling.A storyline ,that would in less capable hands than the superlative ensemble cast and director,might descend into empty schmaltz,is carried to an unforgettable finale.I urge all those with a suitably open mind to take the opportunity to share in this neglected masterpiece.

Sweet November is one of the best movies I have ever seen! I find it hard to believe that when I mention it is my favorite movie of all time, people I talk to do not even recognize the name of the movie. My second favorite movie is Dr. Zhivago; kind of gives one an idea of how much I enjoy this movie. As far as I'm concerned, they don't come any better than this one. The acting is superb on everyone's part, and the plot is terrific. I wish more movies could follow the lead of this one.

Sweet November reminds me of a time when life was good and free, as depicted in the movie. The characters are from a different world, a different time, one that a lot of us would like to find. For the time, giving someone a key to your house, or even leaving the doors unlocked was not unheard of. This is a true love story, and such a good movie.

It's been over thirty years since I saw Sweet November, and the final scene is indelible in my mind. The utter sadness of that scene. But I don't remember Sweet November as a sad movie; it was uplifting, making you look at life with gleaming fresh eyes. The 1968 version, Sandy Dennis/Anthony Newley, is a favorite of mine.

Watching the 2001 re-make made me long for my old friend, the original Sweet November.

I still cringe when I even think about this movie. I saw it on TV a couple years after it came out. I know that almost all movies are contrived in some ways, but the contrivances in this movie were too many, and too much to bear.

Having said that, I take exception to the review by stmarseille14-1, in which he savages the movie on apparently political terms, as if it somehow single-handedly caused the destruction of (conservative) Western Civilization as we - or more accurately, HE/SHE and his/her ilk, know it. Or THINK they do.

What a load of BS. This movie made nary a blip on the minds and consciousness of the "hippy dippy free love, free sex" people this person seems to loathe. One has to be simple-minded to even attempt to make such a connection. How many people at that time does this writer suppose actually even saw this movie, let alone were influenced by it? Sheesh. I found this movie to be a corny, syrupy confection on the order of Love Story. I recall having watched it to the end, but not because it was suspenseful or drew me in, or because the characters were spectacular, thought-provoking or charming. I think I was just too bored to turn it off or change the channel, or may I'd had a few drinks.

If you actually liked Love Story, there is a very good chance that you will like Sweet November. Everyone else should avoid it like the plague.

Today I read the sad news that Anthony Newley had died, on April 14, 1999. It recalled to mind one of my favorite movies: Sweet November. It is a movie which the New York Times obituary did not even bother to mention but one which touched me. I saw the movie in college in 1968 and have not had the chance to see it since but I have never forgotten it. As the other user comment on this site indicates, it is a tender, moving, love story and is probably primarily a "woman's movie." But I am a man and I have to say I loved and enjoyed it. Over the years I have mentioned and recommended this movie to friends and,sadly, invariably they have never heard of it. That is too bad: I highly recommend Sweet November; it is well worth the trouble of locating a copy and taking a look!

Friends of mine who have watched Sweet November (1968) have commented on its implausibility. Without revealing the plot, it can be said that certainly a little "willing suspension of disbelief" will be required to appreciate this film fully.

And yet, ironically, the plot of Sweet November itself seems to be an exploration of the costs of "plausibility" and the benefits of creativity, of taking time to absorb meaning, and to appreciate the "implausible" wonders of everyday life. Without doubt this was a big theme of the 1960s (especially Hollywood of the 1960s) but it still seems pretty relevant and enduring today. There is a very rich layer of philosophy beneath this film's windswept, romantic exterior, strangely overlooked by the professional critics.

Much of this philosophy is embodied in the film's brilliant lead, Sandy Dennis. Her character is a wonderful departure from the typical romantic heroine. Dennis' surface vulnerability conceals a wise and unforgettably strong character, a person who gets to the heart of things by indirection rather than through precision. Dennis' Sara Deever slowly leads Anthony Newley's Charlie Blake to a new way of seeing the world and his place in it, and he's forever changed from having known and loved her.

Again, the details of the plot are best left to the film itself. Suffice it to say that intelligent acting, a distinctive and intriguing storyline, even poetry are all contained in "Sweet November". One couldn't ask for much more in a film than that.

This film has so much heart. Charlie Blake is transformed from inside out into a lovable man by the eccentric and kookie Sara Deever. He learns life isn't about boxes 4 sides and dull His habits are conquered as he learns not to race thru like "hurry, hurry ding, ding". Sara is the woman of the future taking on her projects (men) each month another. All to forget what might be her sadest secret. There is a beautiful poem to the film with the same title and it is the closing song as well. I found this little gem of a film on the telly one night several years ago when I could no longer sleep. It is rather simple, unique and quippy. If you have a chance to catch it, it will be worth your while!

A terrible movie with a ridiculous premise, terribly overacted by Sandy Dennis, who always overreacts and Anthony Newley who is not known to most film lovers for a reason.

Look past the implausible storyline and you'll discover a romantic gem of a film that doesn't deserve its obscurity.

Sandy Dennis stars as Sara, a woman who is described as "temporary," since she is suffering from an undisclosed terminal ailment (perhaps the same one that killed Ali MacGraw a couple of years later in "Love Story"). Sara takes in new man each month, part of her plan to help as many flawed males as she can during her limited time. Anthony Newley is her project for November. Newley also sings the haunting title song.

If you're looking for a romance with a fresh angle, seek out "Sweet November"--but don't forget the tissues.

Okay, I admit I'm neither a sandy Dennis nor an Anthony Newly fan, so maybe this biases my opinion a bit, but no matter who starred in this film, I'd still put it toward the bottom of my list. It had a good idea, but it was poorly executed.

The makers of this film must have thought their audience would try to purchase the Brooklyn Bridge, if they assumed they'd buy the nonsense that a terminally ill young woman, who has one of those six-months-to-year prognosis so popular in films and TV, would have the energy to go out and troll for guys, invite them to live with her for a month, have sex with them and try to solve their problems, then give them the heave-ho and find her next 4-week lover. Apparently, she wanted to leave her mark on the world before she became worm food. If that was the case, she picked a strange way to do it. Instead of collecting dicks, she could have done volunteer work with children, ran a soup kitchen, helped her elderly neighbors, anything useful and rewarding. If she was concerned with being a good Samaritan, then why did her concern only extend to young men? Definitely not a feminist, or else hyper horny. (Maybe that was one of her symptoms?)

What they should have done (and what would have made this more believable) was taken a cue from that "sing in the sunshine" song, which reflected the free spirited, no strings attitude of the late 60's, and just had her be a young woman who wanted guys in her life, but not on a permanent basis, so she had temporary shack-ups, and then one guy tries to change her mind. Now that makes sense!

BTW: wonder how long it took her to croak? I'll bet an STD helped things along.