California Suite (1978)
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58% of critics liked it
(19 reviews) -
45% of users liked it
(2,616 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
- Directed By
- Herbert Ross
- Written By
- Neil Simon
- Genres
- Comedy, Romance
PG,
- In Theaters
- Dec 15, 1978 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Less than successful, veering from poignant emotionalism to broad slapstick in sudden shifts.
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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.
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, Time Out
Quick and varied comedy, highly suited to Neil Simon's machine-gun gag-writing.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The West Coast version of Plaza Suite.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
An all-star bitch fest, slickly served.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Cast
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Alan Alda
as Bill Warren
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Michael Caine
as Sidney Cochran
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Bill Cosby
as Dr. Willis Panama
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Jane Fonda
as Hannah Warren
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Walter Matthau
as Marvin Michaels
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Elaine May
as Millie Michaels
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Richard Pryor
as Dr. Chauncy Gump
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Maggie Smith
as Diana Barrie
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Gloria E. Gifford
as Lola Gump
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Sheila Frazier
as Bettina Panama
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Herb Edelman
as Harry Michaels
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Army Archerd
as Himself
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Gino Ardito
as Plumber
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Nora Boland
as Passenger
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Michael F. Boyle
as Desk Clerk
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Judith M. Brown
as Oscar Winner
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Brian Cummings
as Autograph Seeker
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Buddy Douglas
as Page
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Denise Galik
as Bunny
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Rita Gomez
as Maid
- Kelly Harmon
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John Hawker
as Sky Cap
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Gary Hendrix
as Oscar Winner's Date
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Len Lawson
as Frank
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David Matthau
as Bellboy
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Tawny Moyer
as Stewardess
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Lupe Ontiveros
as Maid
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Christopher Pennock
as Policeman
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Dana Plato
as Jenny
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David Rini
as Airline Rep.
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Jack Scanlan
as P.R. Man
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David Sheehan
as Himself
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Clint Young
as Doorman
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James Espinoza
as Busboy
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Tina Menard
as Maid
- James Coburn
- Bert May
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Eddie Villery
as Waiter
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Jerrold Ziman
as Man on Phone
