Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)

91% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
62% of users liked it
(1,465 ratings)

"Consider the possibilities," read the ads for Paul Mazursky's 1969 satirical comedy about what happens when the sexual revolution hits affluent bourgeois life. After a weekend of "beautiful" emotional honesty at an Esalen-type retreat, married wannabe hipsters Bob (Robert Culp) and Carol (Natalie… More "Consider the possibilities," read the ads for Paul Mazursky's 1969 satirical comedy about what happens when the sexual revolution hits affluent bourgeois life. After a weekend of "beautiful" emotional honesty at an Esalen-type retreat, married wannabe hipsters Bob (Robert Culp) and Carol (Natalie Wood) return to their well-heeled Los Angeles life determined to apply the principles of free love and complete openness to their marriage. To the respective curiosity and repulsion of their married best friends, Ted (Elliott Gould) and Alice (Dyan Cannon), Bob and Carol have affairs that they happily reveal to everyone. Inspired by all that openness during the quartet's trip to Vegas, Ted admits an affair of his own, provoking the outraged Alice to demand that this new ethos be taken to its obvious conclusion: a mate-sharing foursome. Once they're bedded down and ready to go, however, they start to have second thoughts. Without sacrificing authenticity for comedy, first-time director Mazursky and co-writer/producer Larry Tucker delve into the confusion of the Eisenhower generation when faced with the temptations of the counterculture. Too old to be hippies and too young to be fogies, the would-be California swingers sincerely attempt to try on the lifestyle, but it never looks quite right. A then-controversial example of the New Permissiveness both onscreen and off, Bob & Carol debuted at the New York Film Festival to great praise, particularly for Gould and Cannon. Whether they wanted to laugh at their elders' faux looseness or see what their peers might be doing, audiences turned Bob & Carol into a substantial hit, and its observations about marriage and sex remain humorously sharp even if the encounter group jargon is past its vogue. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Paul Mazursky
Genres: Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 17, 1969 Wide
On DVD: Nov 16, 2004

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The genius of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is that it understands the peculiar nature of the moral crisis for Americans in this age group, and understands that the way to consider it is in a comedy.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Mazursky was lucky to get four such excellent performers working on his project, for the movie lives and dies based on their ability to quietly suggest the inner workings of a human mind.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Benignly erected on knowing observation and flossy anecdote, Mazursky's cultural mood-ring merrily mingles mod flash with Old Hollywood
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Like most zeitgeist movies, Paul Mazursky's comedy about mate-swapping quickly became outdated, but it's well acted (by Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon) and serves as a sociological document to the shifting sexual mores of the late 1960s.
Sarah Chauncey, Reel.com
A near-perfect period piece of the late 1960s: the language, the mores, the music and, oh yes, the clothes.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
One of those films that's so often referenced in American culture that it's a must-see, especially for generations who missed the Sixties.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Oh so hip then.Oh so dull now.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

See what happens when two couples try to live the late 60s early 70s lifestyle of free love and wife swapping, only to learn the consequences in the end. It's a great story, and there are great actors in it too. I highly recommend it.
Jennifer X

Hm. This movie has a bit of a monomania complex with sex. I mean, how much can you really push a subject before the tireless repetition kicks in? I lasted about half an hour. The orgy was diminished BECAUSE they talked about it soo much. I mean I understand it's a satire but way… More
Hm. This movie has a bit of a monomania complex with sex. I mean, how much can you really push a subject before the tireless repetition kicks in? I lasted about half an hour. The orgy was diminished BECAUSE they talked about it soo much. I mean I understand it's a satire but way to focus only on the sex and have no characters and no plot and no conflict at all, guys. That being said, Natalie Wood is sooo gorgeous. I still cannot believe that adorable, precocious little girl in Miracle on 34th Street grew up to become THIS.
Laura C

Satire about free love and psycho-speak. Two couples, best friends, examine their marriages and the idea of free love and sexual liberty. Their experiences turn out to be quite different than they expected resulting in some humourously uncomfortable sex scenes. I love the tagline for… More
Satire about free love and psycho-speak. Two couples, best friends, examine their marriages and the idea of free love and sexual liberty. Their experiences turn out to be quite different than they expected resulting in some humourously uncomfortable sex scenes. I love the tagline for the film: "Consider the possibilities." This is my second Paul Mazursky film and would really like to see more of his work.
Brian R

Talk about a swingers picture? This is the best I have ever seen but sometimes I wonder how real life married couples who have a passion for the swinging lifestyle is able to keep a well balanced marriage together without any hostility? Uhhh....errmmm idk...
Sunil J

Pretty impressive. A lot of good performances.