The Knack... and How to Get It (1965)
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78% of critics liked it
(9 reviews) -
68% of users liked it
(1,122 ratings)
Colin (Michael Crawford, who much later won a Tony Award for his role in Broadway's Phantom of the Opera) is an uptight schoolteacher whose housemate, Tolen (Ray Brooks) is a consummate womanizer. Colin imagines a long line of young women in tight white sweaters on his stairwell, waiting to get… More Colin (Michael Crawford, who much later won a Tony Award for his role in Broadway's Phantom of the Opera) is an uptight schoolteacher whose housemate, Tolen (Ray Brooks) is a consummate womanizer. Colin imagines a long line of young women in tight white sweaters on his stairwell, waiting to get into Tolen's room. Jealous of Tolen's incredible success with the ladies, Colin asks Tolen for advice on how to get a girl. When Tolen's advice doesn't seem very practical, Colin decides that his first order of business is to get a bigger bed. Colin is also trying to find a third roommate to take a spare room. Tom (Donal Donnelly), who seems compelled to paint everything in sight, happens by the house, and inserts himself in the spare room without so much as saying "hello." Nancy (Rita Tushingham of A Taste of Honey) is new in town, and wanders the streets of London in a fruitless search for the YWCA. She runs into Colin and Tom at the dump, where they are procuring a gigantic bed. They offer her a ride, and proceed to race through London on the bed. Colin seems too shy to speak much to Nancy, despite Tom's encouragement. Eventually, the trio reach Colin's house, where Tolen works his gruff magic on Nancy, and havoc ensues. Capturing late 1960s London in black-and-white, Richard Lester's The Knack. . .and How to Get It was released between the director's two successes with the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night and Help. The script, by Charles Wood (An Awfully Big Adventure) is based on a play by Ann Jellicoe. Future stars Jacqueline Bisset, Charlotte Rampling, and Jane Birkin appear briefly amid all the attractive young women in the film. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Directed By
- Richard Lester
- Written By
- Charles Wood, Ann Jellicoe
- Genres
- Art House & International, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1965 Wide
- Studio
- MGM
Critic Reviews
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Lester's kooky-fey take on British alienation makes the Carry On movies look like Losey's The Servant
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Embarrassingly crude and dated Swinging Sixties tale.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Everything about the film feels genuine and uncalculated, and it finally comes across as one joyous celebration of life and of being alive.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Rita Tushingham
as Nancy Jones
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Ray Brooks
as Tolen
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Michael Crawford
as Colin
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Donal Donnelly
as Tom
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John Bluthal
as Father
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Wensley Pithey
as Teacher
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Lucy Bartlett
as Water Skier
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Timothy Bateson
as Junkman
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Jacqueline Bisset
as Extra
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George Chisholm
as Porter
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Peter Copley
as Picture Owner
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William Dexter
as Dress Shop Owner
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Charles Dyer
as Man in Photo Booth
- Kenneth Farrington
- Vincent Harding
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Rose Hillier
as Unsuitable Customer
- Julian Holloway
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Bruce Lacey
as Surveyor's Assistant
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Helen Lennox
as Woman in Photo Booth
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Dandy Nichols
as Landlady
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Charlotte Rampling
as Water Skier
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Frank Sieman
as Surveyor
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Marlo Thomas
as Female Teacher
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Wanda Ventham
as Gym Mistress
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Charles Wood
as Soldier
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Walter Horsbrugh
as Old Man
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John Porter Davison
as Guardsman
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Katherine Page
as Woman in House