Set in the span of one late night at a university residence, the film revolves around an associate college professor and his wife as they invite a young couple new to the university for a chat and some drinks where everything goes to hell. It is a film that is about one late night where much of the action takes place at this couple’s home at the university as they invite a new professor and his wife for a drink that ends up being a night of chaos. Ernest Lehman’s screenplay is straightforward in its term of the narrative as its first and third act take place at the home of Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) and her associate professor husband George (Richard Burton) with a bit of the film’s second act taking place outside of the house and at a roadhouse. Part of the film’s strength is the dialogue and monologue spoken by the characters with George often pushing people’s buttons while telling stories to observe his guests in Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis).
Nick is the new biology professor despite Martha’s claim he is teaching math as he is fascinated by George’s time in the university as well as what to expect though Honey is a woman who is fragile as she will get sick if she drinks. As the night goes on, things start to unravel when Martha talks about her son whose birthday is the next day when George is upset over the mention of him. At a brief stop at a roadhouse, more drinks happen with Honey wanting to dance and have fun yet things between Martha and Nick would anger George as he decides to push everyone’s buttons where he ends up walking home. Yet, revelations about Nick and Honey are unveiled during the night including a conversation between George and Nick outside of the house and another one between George and Honey in the third act.
Mike Nichols’ direction is rapturous in its setting as it is shot on location at the Warner Brothers soundstage for all the interior scenes with all the exterior scenes are shot at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. While there are wide shots for some of the exterior scenes including the opening shot of the film where George and Martha walk out of a party on their way home. Much of Nichols’ direction is emphasized on close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimacy of the house that George and Martha live in as well as scenes at the roadhouse during the film’s second act. Notably in how Nichols creates compositions in the way characters are seen in the foreground and in the background during a shot. Nichols’ direction also maintains this air of theatricality where he utilizes long shots for monologues and dialogues to be spoken for minutes uncut as well as scenes where the camera would move from one room to another to follow a character. It adds to this sense of tension as well as moments of dark humor such as a scene where George carries a rifle that would be served as a prank.
Nichols also maintains moments that are somber such as George and Nick’s conversation outside of the house where Nichols create some unique camera angles to play into whether the characters are equal or dominating one another in the conversation. The scenes at the roadhouse are tense for the way everyone starts to unravel with Honey wanting to dance and have fun, yet George starts to notice something is happening with Nick and Martha. The third act is where a lot of revelations about everyone comes into play with George, ready to push everyone’s buttons in revealing something including himself. Especially as Martha brought up the subject of their unnamed son as well as George’s failed novel early in the film, forcing George to get confrontational where Nichols’ direction is always fixed on what is happening. Even as he knows where to place the camera waiting for something to happen that will just blow things up. Overall, Nichols crafts a gripping and ravishing film about a drunken couple’s meeting with a young couple for a late night of drinks going wrong.
Cinematographer Haskell Wexler does incredible work with the film’s black-and-white photography with the way the home of George and Martha is lit in its living room and kitchen as well as spacious look of the roadhouse and the low-key lighting for the exterior scenes. Editor Sam O’Steen does brilliant work with the editing with a few scenes of fast-cuts during the second act where all the characters are in a car before they arrive at the roadhouse along with cuts that allow shots to linger to play into the emotional moments in the film. Production designer Richard Sylbert and set decorator George James Hopkins does excellent work with the look of the interiors of George and Martha’s home with a messy kitchen as well as a living room full of books and a bar full of drinks as well as the spacious interior of the roadhouse. Costume designer Irene Sharaff does fantastic work with the costumes in the suits the men wear to Honey’s dress and coat as well as the posh yet ragged clothes that Martha wears.
Makeup artists Gordon Bau and Ron Berkeley, along with hair stylist Sydney Guilaroff, do amazing work with the look of Martha from her big hairstyle as well as the makeup where she looks older than she is as it is a highlight of the film. The sound work of M.A. Merrick and George Groves do superb work with the sound as it plays into the atmosphere of a room as well as whatever music is played in the roadhouse. The film’s music by Alex North is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that is used sparingly to play into the dramatic tension that looms throughout the film.
The film’s ensemble cast feature a couple of notable small yet uncredited performances from Frank and Agnes Flanagan as the couple who run the roadhouse. Sandy Dennis is great as Honey as a young woman who is fragile due to her inability to deal with alcohol where she would have mood swings where she can be upbeat but also feel down as she wonders if Nick really loves her for who she is or for something else. George Segal is phenomenal as Honey’s husband Nick who is the new biology professor at the university as he is troubled by George and Martha’s behavior though he would briefly have a moment with George about his marriage to Honey realizing they are the same in some respects.
Richard Burton is tremendous as George as an associate history professor who is reluctant to invite new guests while he starts to unravel over things his wife said that would force him to push everyone else around him. Burton has this gravitas of a man who has experiences a lot yet is also carrying something that is deep inside him that he does not want to reveal. Finally, there’s Elizabeth Taylor in a spectacular performance as Martha as George’s wife whose father is the university president as she is known for drinking and oversharing information that would humiliate George. Taylor is also someone that is also hiding something as she is also someone who is willing to get what she wants no matter who she hurts as it is one of her career-defining performances.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a magnificent film by Mike Nichols that features great leading performances from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as well as impressive supporting performances from George Segal and Sandy Dennis. Along with Ernest Lehman’s confrontational screenplay, Haskell Wexler’s stunning cinematography, and its unsettling presentation. It is a film that is an engaging drama that is about an older couple meeting a young couple only for a late night of drinking just to unravel. In the end, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an outstanding film by Mike Nichols.
Mike Nichols Films: (The Graduate) – (Catch 22) – Carnal Knowledge - (The Day of the Dolphin) – (The Fortune) – (Gilda Live) – (Silkwood) – (Heartburn) – (Biloxi Blues) – Working Girl - Postcards from the Edge - (Regarding Henry) – (Wolf (1994 film)) – The Birdcage - (Primary Colors) – (What Planet Are You From?) – (Wit) – (Angels in America) – Closer (2004 film) - (Charlie Wilson’s War)
© thevoid99 2025
Written and directed by David O. Russell, Flirting with Disaster is the story of a man who goes on a road trip with his wife and newborn baby to find his biological parents with the help of an adoption agency employee as others join in on the search. The film is an offbeat comedy that plays into a man’s need to find his real parents as he copes with idea of parenthood as well as his own marriage as he becomes attracted towards the adoption agency employee. Starring Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Tea Leoni, Josh Brolin, Richard Jenkins, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Glenn Fitzgerald, Alan Alda, and Lily Tomlin. Flirting with Disaster is a witty and whimsical film from David O. Russell.
The film is the simple story of a neurotic man whose inability to name his newborn child forces him to try and find his biological parents to find out who he is as he is aided by an adopted agency employee whom he becomes attracted to. It plays into a man in his search for his own identity and roots where he is joined by his wife on a trip to find his real parents but bad information and incompetence lead to several setbacks with others joining this man’s adventure to find his real parents. David O. Russell’s screenplay has a unique narrative structure as it follows the journey of Mel Coplin (Ben Stiller) who is given news that the identity of his biological mother has been found. Mel’s wife Nancy (Patricia Arquette) joins Mel out of support as she takes their newborn baby with them despite the protests of Mel’s adoptive parents in Ed and Pearl Coplin (George Segal and Mary Tyler Moore, respectively) who feel unhappy by the news. Joining them is the adoptive agency employee Tina (Tea Leoni) who wants to record the event as she and Mel become attracted to each other.
Russell’s direction does have elements of style in the way he captures the journey of a neurotic man as it is shot on various locations in New York City as well as parts of San Diego, Arizona, and a couple of places in Michigan such as Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. While there are moments where Russell would use wide shots for some of the locations and scenes that play into the characters inside a home which includes a key moment in the first act that has Mel meeting a woman who could be his mother. Much of Russell’s compositions would rely on medium shots and close-ups in the way characters interact including scenes that include Nancy’s old high school friend Tony Kent (Josh Brolin) who is an ATF agent with a partner both at work and in life in Paul Harmon (Richard Jenkins) as they both join the trip during its second half.
The film’s third act doesn’t just play into absurd humor but also in light drama as it relates to the tension that is looming in Mel and Nancy’s marriage with the former being attracted to Tina and the latter being nurtured by Tony. It also play into the eventual meeting of another prospect of who could be Mel’s real parents in Richard and Mary Schlichting (Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin, respectively) who also have a younger son in Lonnie (Glenn Fitzgerald) who is angry about the idea of having an older brother. The meeting would be a mixture of humor and chaos as well as an aftermath that would later involve all sorts of shenanigans and drama that is happening. Overall, Russell creates a witty yet exhilarating film about a man trying to find his identity in his search for his biological parents with others joining him in a chaotic journey.
Cinematographer Eric Alan Edwards does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward to play into the different looks of the location including the scenes in Michigan with its snow and the sunnier look of New Mexico in the daytime. Editor Christopher Tellefsen does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the humor. Production designer Kevin Thompson, with art director Judy Rhee plus set decorators Susan Block and Ford Wheeler, does fantastic work with the look of the different homes that Mel and his entourage encounter from the home of a woman in San Diego with her glass figurines to the stylish home and art work of the couple he meets in New Mexico.
Costume designer Ellen Lutter does nice work with the costumes as it play into the personality of the characters from the casual look of Mel and Nancy to the sexy, business-like look of Tina and the more hippie look of the Schlichtings. Sound designer Wendy Hedin does terrific work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the different locations in the film. The film’s music by Stephen Endelman does wonderful work with the sound as it is largely low-key in its folk music presentation while music supervisor Bonnie Greenberg provides a fun soundtrack that mixes rock, pop, country, and alternative music from acts like Southern Culture on the Skids, Cake, Urge Overkill, Dr. John with Angela McCluskey, Dean Martin, Inch, Carl Perkins, and the Grateful Dead.
The casting by Risa Bramon Garcia and Ellen Parks is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Cynthia LaMontagne and Beth Stern as twin women who are the daughters of a woman in San Diego, David Patrick Kelly as a trucker in Michigan who might be Mel’s father, Celia Weston as Valerie Swaney as the woman from San Diego who might be Mel’s mother, and Glenn Fitzgerald as Lonnie Schlichting as a young man who might be Mel’s brother who doesn’t like Mel at all as he’s overly rude and jealous towards him. Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin are fantastic in their respective roles as Richard and Mary Schlichting as a couple from New Mexico who might be Mel’s biological parents as they’re hippie artists that are fascinated by Mel while being those who prefer to live a life of isolation away from the conventions of society. Richard Jenkins and Josh Brolin are superb in their respective roles as the ATF agents Paul Harmon and Tony Kent as a gay couple who join Mel and his entourage in the journey with Jenkins as the more reluctant of the duo as he would later have a bad encounter with drugs while Brolin is more carefree as he tries to renew his friendship with Nancy in odd ways.
Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal are excellent in their respective roles as Mel’s adoptive parents in Pearl and Ed Coplin with Moore being very funny in dealing with her son’s neuroses and wear some skimpy yet sexy underwear while Segal is more low-key as someone who is just as neurotic as Mel. Tea Leoni is brilliant as Tina Kalb as a recently-divorced adoption agency employee who wants to document Mel’s reunion with his biological parents as she becomes attracted to Mel only to realize that she’s hiding her own issues as it relates to her incompetence and failure in life. Patricia Arquette is amazing as Nancy Coplin as Mel’s wife who joins him on the journey as she finds herself neglected forcing her to turn to Tony for attention with weird results. Finally, there’s Ben Stiller in a remarkable performance as Mel Coplin as a man who is eager to find out who his parents are as it play into his anxiety over who he is and his inability to name his newborn son that would also prompt him to be attractive towards Tina that would become chaotic as it’s a witty performance from Stiller.
Flirting with Disaster is an incredible film from David O. Russell. Featuring a great cast, an offbeat yet funny premise, and its study of identity and anxiety. It’s a film that play into some of ideas of a man’s journey that would devolve into chaos as well as revelations about himself. In the end, Flirting with Disaster is a sensational film from David O. Russell.
David O. Russell Films: Spanking the Monkey – Three Kings - I Heart Huckabees – The Fighter - Silver Linings Playbook - American Hustle - Accidental Love - Joy (2015 film) - The Auteurs #70: David O. Russell
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Robert Altman and written by Joseph Walsh, California Split is the story of two gamblers who become friends over their love of gambling as they go to casinos in order to have a major score. The film is an exploration into the world of gambling and the effects it has on the people who are entranced by that world. Starring Elliott Gould and George Segal. California Split is an extraordinary film from Robert Altman.
In the world of gambling, one has to figure out how to score and win big so that person can have money and spend. In this film, it’s about these two different men who love gambling as they team up together for one big score after they had been mugged by a gambler who felt ripped off by the two men. Along the way, they do things that will help them win money and have a good time but the lifestyle starts to take its toll on one of the men in Bill Denny (George Segal) as he finds himself in debt. When he decides to go Reno to gamble with the more experienced Charlie Walters (Elliott Gould), something happens to Bill at Reno where Charlie has to sit back and watch while the aftermath would have some profound effect for these two men.
Joseph Walsh’s screenplay explore the world of gambling where it is about playing cards the right way or trying to shoot at a craps table or picking the right horse to win at the racetrack. Still, it is about these two different men who have an interest in gambling. In Charlie Walters, here’s a guy who is very experienced in that world and is very obsessed about what to do and knowing what to pick where he will even throw someone off their game so he can win. In Bill Denny, here’s a man with a job as a magazine writer who is fascinated by gambling and has won a few games here and there but has no experience in winning big.
The two team up together in order to make big money together as Walters is a more compulsive gambler who knows the lifestyle that includes drinks and women while it is still new to Bill. For Bill, he goes deep into this world where he wins but then loses as he finds himself in trouble. There, he goes into a major character development in which he realizes what he has to do to be a full-time gambler that requires a lot of sacrifices. Seeing how Charlie is able to deal with it makes Bill uneasy where he will take a risk to go to Reno for one big score where it wouldn’t see how far Bill will go to win but will also test his friendship with Charlie.
Robert Altman’s direction is quite straightforward for the most part though he does manage to pull in some interesting framing devices for the film. Yet, he keeps the camera in tact to uncover this world of casinos and racetracks to explore a world that is quite chaotic in some aspects but also very organized. For the scenes outside of those environments such as Charlie’s home or the place where Bill works. The direction is very different as it’s tighter and more focused to see how these two men live outside of the gambling world where Bill maybe uneasy about it but has accepted it. For Charlie, he feels more out of place as he longs to make money through gambling. While a lot of the film takes place in California, it’s climax is in the more colder environment of Reno, Nevada where things are a bit different except in the casinos.
Still, there is tension in the direction that occurs where Bill is eager to make his score where he could succeed and fail. The aftermath is the most interesting moment because of where these two men have come to as well as the result of what it takes to gamble. There’s an ambiguity to that world where it can be great when someone wins but also very terrifying when someone loses. Overall, Altman creates a truly mesmerizing yet entertaining film about the world of gambling.
Cinematographer Paul Lohmann does excellent work with the photography from some of the low-key lighting in some of the bars and casinos to the more vibrant look of the Californian exterior settings. Editors Lou Lombardo and O. Nicholas Brown do terrific work with the editing to capture the energy of the casinos and racetracks as well as more methodical moments in the non-gambling scenes. Art director Leon Ericksen and set decorator Sam J. Jones do nice work with the look of Charlie‘s home and the office that Bill works as well as a few touches for the casinos they attend.
Sound editor Kay Rose does wonderful work with the sound to capture the craziness in the race tracks and the casinos to showcase the world of gambling. The music soundtrack consists of an array of music that plays to the world of casino life courtesy of Phyllis Shotwell who provides some funny renditions of standards.
The casting by Scott Bushnell is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Jeff Goldblum as one of Bill’s editors, Bert Remsen as a drag queen Bill and Charlie meets, Edward Walsh as a gambler who mugs Bill and Charlie early in the film, and screenwriter Joseph Walsh as Bill’s bookie. In a couple of wonderful performances, there’s Gwen Welles and Ann Prentiss as a couple of lady friends of Charlie who hang out with him and Bill as they also encounter their world of gambling.
Finally, there’s the duo of Elliott Gould and George Segal in fantastic performances in their respective roles of Charlie Walters and Bill Denny. Gould brings a lot of humor as the fast-talking Charlie who always hustle in order to make his living as he’s also a man that knows what to do. Segal also brings humor to his role but also a sense of dramatic weight to his character who finds himself in trouble over his gambling losses. The two together make a great duo in the way they interact with each other as they’re a major highlight of the film.
California Split is a marvelous film from Robert Altman that features incredible performances from Elliott Gould and George Segal. Thanks to its intriguing approach to explore the world of gambling, it’s a film that is very funny but also very compelling that explores the world of gamblers and what they have to do to win. For fans of Altman, this film is definitely one of his key works in the 1970s as well as one of his finest films of his career. In the end, California Split is a superb film from Robert Altman.
Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - Pret-a-Porter - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie's Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion
© thevoid99 2013
