The Loved One (1965) Reviews

I figured the movie was flawed but hoped the quirky charm of Waugh's writing would make it watchable. After 15-20 minutes I gave up. The project was choked by an overload of talent and egos. Evidently Tony Richardson was overmatched, or bullied by the studio. Robert Altman might have done better.
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Among the dismal, "nothing works," clubfooted comedies in history, THE LOVED ONE may stand tallest of all. Crass without being clever or funny, totally lacking in comic timing, the movie is among Hollywood's most shocking misfires. "Ishtar" had more going for it, for god's sake. You sit there waiting for something to jell. It never happens. A look at the credits explains a lot: Martin Ransohoff, the producer (TV's "The Beverly Hillbillies"); director Tony Richardson (art films like "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" and art/mainstream success "Tom Jones"); actors include miscast leads Robert Morse, who can't manage a British accent, and Anjanette Comer plus John Gielgud, James Coburn, Margaret Leighton, Milton Berle & Liberace (poor Rod Steiger goes consistently over the top yet does nothing but "mince"); and writers Terry Southern & Christopher Isherwood! Talk about a mismatch. Could any of these people have had anything to say to each other, let alone collaborate on a film?
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Bizarre but Dated I remember this as a classic from the '60's, however, on seeing it again, I was not quite as shocked and therefore not quite as amused as the first time. I think Little Shop of Horrors aged better. The courtship rituals in The Loved One were especially dated. Still, I think it is a funny, strange, and important slice of not life. Aimee's suicide was hilarious, as suicide is not supposed to be, ever.
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