Cactus Flower

"What did she say?"
"It's not what she said, it's what she didn't say"
"Tell me what she didn't say, word for word"

Dr. Julian Winston (Matthau) found a way to keep his much younger girlfriend, Toni (Hawn), from expecting commitment:

"She thinks I'm already married."

"Julian, you pulled that old stunt on her, huh?"

"The minute I met her I knew this girl could make me do anything. So just to protect myself in the clinches, I told her that I had a wife and three children."

"Three children is a nice touch."

 But when he falls for Toni and proposes, she wants to make everything right, "But what about the children?" "I'll divorce them too."  She wants to meet his wife and won't rest until he agrees.  With no other choice, he convinces his loyal nurse / secretary Stephanie Dickinson (Bergman) to pose as his wife and convince Toni the marriage is over.

But Stephanie is in love with Julian and Toni gets the wrong idea.  Soon Julian is adding others to the scheme, to keep up with Toni's questions.  With his sleazy best friend, Harvey (Weston), posing as the new boyfriend... Latin patient / diplomat, Señor Arturo Sánchez, (Vito Scotti), passionately pursuing Stephanie, and Toni's neighbor, Igor (Lenz), showing up everywhere, Julian's plans get more complicated...

I discovered this film through Netflix, as a suggestion of a film I might enjoy, and I wasn't disappointed!  Based on the Broadway play by the same name, which was based on a French play, this film is fast paced and funny... despite it's predictable ending (which is easy to figure out early on).  The fun is in how everything plays out.  What crazy story will Julian come up with next.... how will he get out of the next predicament... etc.

The best scene occurs at a swinging nightclub, where all the characters go because it's the only place they don't expect to run into the other characters.  It looks like they are having lots of fun (see picture above of Hawn and Bergman "dancing"), and it is hard to keep a straight face watching how it all plays out.

This film was the debut of Goldie Hawn, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role.  She makes Toni lovably quirky with in an array of short skirts / shorts.  It was a delight to see Ingrid Bergman in a comedy... still a gorgeous woman in her 50's, she oozes charm and charisma in every scene.  Walter Matthau displays a range of emotion and comedy chops (not at the level of his work with Jack Lemmon, but nothing really tops that collaboration)... while the other men get some great reaction shots...

This film has aged well and remains funny for the right reasons.  If you find it, watch it!

Cactus Flower (1969) 103 minutes
Director: Gene Saks
Starring: Walter Matthau as Dr. Julian Winston
Ingrid Bergman as Stephanie Dickinson
Goldie Hawn as Toni Simmons
Jack Weston as Harvey Greenfield
Rick Lenz as Igor Sullivan