Man's Favorite Sport?
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Movie Reviews of Man's Favorite Sport?
Movie Review: Subversive, Flawed, Sexy, Essential
Summary: 3 Stars
There is something about this film.
First, it's worth discovering the phenomenon of Paula Prentiss. She is the lethal combination of a blazing smart woman, sarcastic and confident and hormonal, somehow incarnated as a six-foot model from Texas, complete with that drawl; relaxed, urbane, earthy, fascinating, endlessly sexy. Accept no substitute. She is an indispensable archetype, as gorgeous and innately dazzling as Louise Brooks.
And, it is a sixties studio technicolor comedy, with all the burgundy cardigan, Tiffany, champagne, cadillac, mahogany lounge glamour that implies.
The script is about an imposter, a man pretending to be a macho outdoorsman, and the headstrong woman who innocently calls his bluff by believing him. In retrospect, it seems Rock Hudson gave this idea a very personal interpretation. His alternately brooding and peevish character is literally haunted, painfully weighed down, by the phony role he makes himself play for money and career. His angst is funny only because the character is so successful.
Beyond the revisionist over-analyzing because Hudson was gay, the film has intentional gender irony playing alongside its lighweight generic storyline. There is a gag in which the woman tries to help Rock by putting a fake cast on his arm. But the fake cast freezes his arm upright, like an Olympic torch-bearer or Zeus. We are forced to recognize that the heroic male stereotype does not fit on this indignant, frustrated man.
Some of the slapstick is tired. Director Hawks steals his own torn-dress gag from "Bringing Up Baby".
But the humor works in other ways, and those ways are unusual, even unique.
Like Rohmer's great "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend", there is no formulaic desire romance. We are never sure about these two.
One promotional photograph shows the distracted couple, uncomfortably detached from each other. This couple is not destined for needy orgiastic clutching, that ecstatic mutual validation we expect in a love story. Rather, it is a weird, tenuous but genuinely affectionate solution, an adult intimacy, which they accomplish. It is strange, and strangely satisfying, in the context of this goofy Hollywood technicolor creampuff.
On a personal note, I can not entirely explain why I have seen this movie so many times, what draws me to it. Some moment, some gestalt, will not let go. It is silly but riveting, equally contrived and compelling. I give it a modest approval rating so as not to disappoint people, but consider it one of the defining films of the sixties.
Outside, a period technicolor comedy held together by two wild and intelligent stars. Inside, a subversive dimension.
Movie Review: Hudson and Prentiss spell comedy gold!
Summary: 3 Stars
Following some successful romantic comedy teamings with Doris Day ("Pillow Talk", "Lover Come Back") and Gina Lollobrigida ("Come September"), Rock Hudson found another delightful leading lady in Paula Prentiss. MAN'S FAVORITE SPORT? teams them with legendary screwball comedy director Howard Hawks.
MAN'S FAVORITE SPORT? recounts the adventures of angling 'expert' Roger Willoughby (Rock Hudson) who is invited to take part in a prestigious fishing tournament. However, Roger can't even throw a line, let alone catch a fish! When press agent Abigail Page (the delightful Paula Prentiss) finds out about Roger's problem, she decides to give him the ultimate crash course in fishing...
Initially, director Howard Hawks wanted to fashion this movie as a semi-remake of his 1938 classic "Bringing Up Baby", to the point where he even approached Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn about starring in it!
The film features a great musical score by Henry Mancini as well as fine supporting performances from Maria Perschy and Charlene Holt. The DVD includes the trailer. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc).
Movie Review: Perfect Rock Hudson vehicle, except for....
Summary: 3 Stars
the annoying, irritating, fingernails on a blackboard Paula Prentiss. She's too gangly, too goofy, and too OBNOXIOUS to make this flick work. I can think of about 20 other contemporaries that would have been a better match for Rock Hudson and Paula doesnt provide any spark or chemistry whatsoever. Ironically, she's a walking trainwreck and if you've seen the film you know what I mean.However, in spite of this loudmouth dingbat's presence, the story is very good, full of humor, and great character actors that almost compensate for yet another disastrous Howard Hawks casting call.
I guess the thing that struck me most about this movie, aside from Hudson's natural comedic talent, was the excessive drinking that went on throughout the movie. And this hits close to home cause I am drinking excessively as I write this but everybody in this flick always had a drink in their hand....and I mean doubles and triples during lunch and dinner and on until the wee hours! haw haw haw 3 Bass
Movie Review: kinda like Cary Grant comedies
Summary: 3 Stars
If Man's Favorite Sport reminds you of the pairings of Cary Grant and Kate Hepburn in such movies as Bringing Up Baby or The Philadelphia Story, the fact is this movie, as well as Come September were written specifically for Cary Grant. He turned down both projects, and that is why Rock Hudson ended up staring in two movies that remind others of a Cary Grant movie. Man's Favorite Sport in itself is alright, but I would rather spend my time watching Cary in one of the movies he chose to make, rather than Rock Hudson attempt to pull off dialogue that was written for Cary. I have nothing bad to say about Rock Hudson, I enjoy his movies. But, without the talent, the class, the style, the comedic timing and the presence of Cary Grant in a comedy that was written specifically for him, the movie falls short.Movie Review: Boring and silly formula movie
Summary: 3 Stars
I will admit to enjoying this slow movie when it came out over 40 years ago, but I was a young man then and it was up on a big screen. On the DVD I still enjoy Paula Prentiss' character and her great performance but Rock Hudson is a poor substitute for Cary Grant. Hudson was much better in Pillow Talk, which I think is mainly due to a better script. This script is just too silly and slow for an adult. For an old comedy that holds up well try Pillow Talk and/or Bringing Up Baby. The widescreen is nice, the picture and sound clear but bonus feature amounts to only the original trailer.