California Suite Details

Neil Simon is at his most devilish and rapier-witted with this adaptation of his hit Broadway comedy, a classy confection of oddball vignettes set in the up-market Beverly Hills Hotel. The cast is a superior blend of seasoned comic performers and acting heavyweights, all having a ball with Simon's quick-fire one-liners. The standout turns are from Walter Matthau and Elaine May, whose frantically unbalanced antics almost take the movie into the surreal, and Maggie Smith, who deservedly won the best supporting actress Oscar for her performance as, coincidentally, an actress preparing for the Academy Awards. There is substance to counteract the froth, particularly in Jane Fonda's moving performance. This isn't brain food, but it works.

Two hits, two misses; closer intercutting might have helped. No doubt that Maggie Smith and Michael Caine come off best, with bitcheries about the Academy Awards.