A New Leaf
ArthouseSchmarthouse

Review by ArthouseSchmarthouse Patron

A New Leaf

1971
★★★★ Liked

Watched 13 Oct 2024

7.5
Amazon Prime Video (Rental)

The basic premise of Elaine May's charming-yet-acerbic debut is a perfect mix of 1920s Keatonesque physical comedy and 1930/40s slapstick, mixed with the darkness and cynicism of the 1970s. A wonderful Walter Matthau plays Henry Graham, an immature, almost child-like bachelor whose life as a professional rich person comes crashing down to earth when he learns that he has run out of money. Without any skills or ambition, Henry alights on the one option left open to him: to marry a rich woman, and then murder her for her inheritance. It is of course a very dark premise, but it works due to the clearly heightened screwball tone; Matthau is great as the perpetually grumpy Henry, playing off incredibly well against Elaine May as his charmingly innocent "romantic" lead. There are plenty of amusing moments-- including a great bit of extended physical comedy involving Henry trying to get Henrietta into a somewhat complicated nightgown. The story ends up pretty much where you would expect it to, but the manner in which it gets there is surprisingly touching and sweet. Ultimately it is a story about a selfish, almost sociopathic man who in pretending to fall in love with Henrietta puts in so much work on being a good person he winds up actually falling in love with her; he changes for the better thanks to the love of a good woman. Not an especially fashionable story arc these days, but it works perfectly well here.

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