California Suite (1978)

58% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(2,556 ratings)

Playwright Neil Simon turned to the hotel setting he used so successfully in his stage-play (later a movie) Plaza Suite to explore four more human dramas in his play California Suite, which was adapted into this quite successful movie. In the first episode, the divorced couple of Bill and Hannah… More Playwright Neil Simon turned to the hotel setting he used so successfully in his stage-play (later a movie) Plaza Suite to explore four more human dramas in his play California Suite, which was adapted into this quite successful movie. In the first episode, the divorced couple of Bill and Hannah Warren (Alan Alda and Jane Fonda) have rented a suite in a posh Beverly Hills hotel in order to have a discussion about who will get the custody of their child. In the next episode, Sidney Cochran and Diana Barrie (Michael Caine and Maggie Smith) are a hilarious pair of Hollywood stars who have rented the suite to await their appearance at the Academy Awards: it is a "date of convenience" which enables the sexually adventurous duo to conduct their other, more unconventional alliances out of the public eye. Drs. Willis Panama and Chauncy Gump (Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor) have brought their families to Beverly Hills for a vacation which takes on nightmarish tone. Finally, Marvin Michaels (Walter Matthau) tries frantically and unsuccessfully to explain the situation to his wife (Elaine May) when she catches him in flagrante delicto with a hooker. Actress Maggie Smith won an Academy Award as "Best Supporting Actress" for her role in this film, in which she plays the actress waiting to win . . . an Academy Award. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Herbert Ross
Written By: Neil Simon
Genres: Comedy, Romance

In Theaters: Dec 15, 1978 Wide
On DVD: Jan 2, 2002

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Less than successful, veering from poignant emotionalism to broad slapstick in sudden shifts.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Means middle-class angst covered with a thin veneer of snappy one-liners and presented in the most anonymous directorial style imaginable.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The West Coast version of Plaza Suite.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
An all-star bitch fest, slickly served.
, Time Out
Quick and varied comedy, highly suited to Neil Simon's machine-gun gag-writing.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
For one of the acts in Neil Simon's stale anthology, Maggie Smith won a Supporting Oscar for playing a hard-drinking actress who complains to her bisexual husband (Michael Caine) that "Acting doesn't win Oscars. What I need is a dying father."
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
Dire: good actors playing the worst versions of one-dimensional Neil Simon joke machines.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
sharp script and acting
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)
Offensive, stupid, and embarrassing.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
California Suite offers audiences a fine blend of laughter and variety which is the spice of good comic cinema.
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Middle-level Simon, bright lines, brightly delivered, but too theatrical.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
All-star Neil Simon adaptation houses enough laughs to warrant a visit.

Read all 12 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

Neil Simon don't do a very good work, like another films written by he. The first hour, California Suite is nothing poignant. After, the movie get better, but the audience in that point don't want continue to watch.
Ken S

Good movie, GREAT cast
AJ V

Another all-star fiasco. This movie is supposed to be funny and dramatic, but it's in fact very boring and has very little humor. There are a couple of really funny scenes, but most of the time it isn't funny at all. The only real reason to watch this is to see all the… More
Another all-star fiasco. This movie is supposed to be funny and dramatic, but it's in fact very boring and has very little humor. There are a couple of really funny scenes, but most of the time it isn't funny at all. The only real reason to watch this is to see all the famous actors.
Dean M

The best latter duo (Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby) getting the worst break, however, as their seg is chopped up, spread around and generally given short shrift in this film.
xGary X

Okayish Neil Simon comedy with a strong cast (the story involving Michael Caine and Maggie Smith is particularly witty) but I couldn't shake the feeling I was watching a landlocked episode of The Love Boat...
Sunil J

Maggie Smith and Michael Caine were amazing. She earned that Oscar.

Read all 6 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Alan Alda as Bill Warren

            Michael Caine as Sidney Cochran

            Bill Cosby as Dr. Willis Panama

            Jane Fonda as Hannah Warren

            Walter Matthau as Marvin Michaels

            Elaine May as Millie Michaels

            Richard Pryor as Dr. Chauncy Gump

            Maggie Smith as Diana Barrie

            Gloria E. Gifford as Lola Gump

            Sheila Frazier as Bettina Panama

            Herb Edelman as Harry Michaels

            Army Archerd as Himself

            Gino Ardito as Plumber

            Nora Boland as Passenger

            Michael F. Boyle as Desk Clerk

            Judith M. Brown as Oscar Winner

            Brian Cummings as Autograph Seeker

            Buddy Douglas as Page

            Denise Galik as Bunny

            Rita Gomez as Maid

            Kelly Harmon
            
            John Hawker as Sky Cap

            Gary Hendrix as Oscar Winner's Date

            Len Lawson as Frank

            David Matthau as Bellboy

            Tawny Moyer as Stewardess

            Lupe Ontiveros as Maid

            Christopher Pennock as Policeman

            Dana Plato as Jenny

            David Rini as Airline Rep.

            Jack Scanlan as P.R. Man

            David Sheehan as Himself

            Clint Young as Doorman

            James Espinoza as Busboy

            Tina Menard as Maid

            James Coburn
            
            Bert May
            
            Eddie Villery as Waiter

            Jerrold Ziman as Man on Phone
See full cast