Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
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60% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
60% of users liked it
(1,171 ratings)
Helen Gurley Brown's self-help best-seller was the nominal source for this Hollywood sex romp, directed by Richard Quine, co-scripted by Joseph Heller and David R. Schwartz, and starring Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood. Tony Curtis plays Bob Weston, a writer for a scandal magazine who is working on… More Helen Gurley Brown's self-help best-seller was the nominal source for this Hollywood sex romp, directed by Richard Quine, co-scripted by Joseph Heller and David R. Schwartz, and starring Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood. Tony Curtis plays Bob Weston, a writer for a scandal magazine who is working on an article on research psychologist Helen Gurley Brown (Natalie Wood) and her best-selling book Sex and the Single Girl. Bob needs to interview Helen, but she refuses to see him. Bob impersonates one of her neighbors, Frank Broderick (Henry Fonda), as a ruse in order to see her on the pretext of marital counseling. After several meetings, Bob attempts to seduce her, but she resists; then he phones her and claims he's about to commit suicide by jumping off a local pier. Horrified, she rushes out to save him, but the two accidentally fall off the pier together and then head back to Helen's apartment to dry out. Bob plies Helen with martinis. Rip-roaring drunk, Helen confesses her love for Bob. He assures her it's fine, since he's not legally married, but Helen doesn't believe him and asks to meet his wife, Sylvia (Lauren Bacall). This leads to an endless series of complications, capped off by a wild chase to the Los Angeles airport. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Directed By
- Richard Quine
- Genres
- Drama, Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Dec 25, 1964 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
As usual in this type of farce, male and female leads have fewer comic lines than supporting players. But Curtis registers exceptionally well when detailing supposed marital problems to adviser.
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Tom Milne, Time Out
Graceless stuff, criminally wasting Bacall and Fonda as a couple with marital problems (they're in love, but constantly quarrelling), and with Quine's moderate flair for comedy nowhere in evidence.
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A.H. Weiler, New York Times
Spain never looked lovelier, but the banal romances of the lightweight principals in this retooled vehicle make the trip wholly unnecessary.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
In a small role as a production man, note Wayne, who appears as Benjamin Franklin in a superb one-man show around the world. Storch also turns in a neat cameo as a motorcycle cop.
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Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
1964 sexual revolution fodder, with some slapstick for redemption.
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)
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Cast
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Tony Curtis
as Bob Weston
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Natalie Wood
as Dr. Helen Brown
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Henry Fonda
as Frank Broderick
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Lauren Bacall
as Sylvia Broderick
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Mel Ferrer
as Rudy DeMeyer
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Fran Jeffries
as Gretchen
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Edward Everett Horton
as Chief
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Leslie Parrish
as Susan
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Larry Storch
as Motorcycle Cop
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Stubby Kaye
as Helen's Cabbie
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Howard St. John
as George Randall
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Otto Kruger
as Dr. Marshall H. Anderson
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Max Showalter
as Holmes
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William Lanteau
as Sylvester
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Helen Kleeb
as Hilda
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Frank Baker
as Pretzel Vendor
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Barbara Bouchet
as Frannie
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Paul Bryar
as Toll Gate Guard
- George E. Carey
- Claire Carleton
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William Fawcett
as Bum
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Phil Garris
as Young Man
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Edmund Glover
as Dr. Chickering
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Cheerio Meredith
as Elderly Woman
- Charles Morton
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Burt Mustin
as Harvey
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Tom Quine
as Board Member
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Fredd Wayne
as Production Man
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Sheila Stephenson
as Board Member
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Count Basie and His Orchestra
as Themselves
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Taggart Casey
as Guard
- Jerry Martin
- Irving Steinberg
