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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A brilliant comic farce dressed as the most extravagantly glamourous cast ,this is a uniquely satisfying satire on American nouveau rich consumer culture and the American dream to define success in terms of abundant wealth .
A simple rustic girl played by Shirley Maclaine has a desire to lead a natural life in the countryside but she is cursed as all the men in her life she marries turn into millionaires by sheer fortune or misfortune and then kick the bucket leaving her to survive as the wealthiest woman in the world .
The performance by Shirley is winsome but the men are bizarre characters and all played in memorable roles by great stars .
DIck van dyke is the first spouse who gives way to a mad eccentric painter played in a flamboyant role by Paul Newman that even Picasso will envy ,and then it is Robert Mitchum where we get to see a 'movie within a movie' titled -'Lush Budgett' - a lavishly tongue in cheek and stylishy glamourous anecdote memorable for it's sheer elegant farce on the riotous Hollywood musical style portrayed in the epic MGM technicolor productions from Forties.
But save the best for last ,as Gene Kelly turns up as the fourth man as a singer dancer performing a tongue in cheek ,clownish drifter artist, who is as ordinary as they come but soon transforms into a huge musical star by the 'accursed fortune' of being close to the charmed billionairess .
But you are still left with a neat twist when DEAN MARTIN turns up in a nonsinging role as an impoverished janitor who was rejected by Shirley in her past life just because he was rich and the plot gets riotously funny as it turns upside down .
The stars are ebullient and the social satire works affectively with great humoresque sequences as does the SURREAL and ravishingly original art direction with some ingenious set pieces which are dazzling and uniquely shot,not to forget the musical numbers and the flashy but attractively tasteful colours with enticing choreography which will take your breath away .
A genuine Hollywood classic laden with real stars and as larger than life as you can make cinema as an art form.
A simple rustic girl played by Shirley Maclaine has a desire to lead a natural life in the countryside but she is cursed as all the men in her life she marries turn into millionaires by sheer fortune or misfortune and then kick the bucket leaving her to survive as the wealthiest woman in the world .
The performance by Shirley is winsome but the men are bizarre characters and all played in memorable roles by great stars .
DIck van dyke is the first spouse who gives way to a mad eccentric painter played in a flamboyant role by Paul Newman that even Picasso will envy ,and then it is Robert Mitchum where we get to see a 'movie within a movie' titled -'Lush Budgett' - a lavishly tongue in cheek and stylishy glamourous anecdote memorable for it's sheer elegant farce on the riotous Hollywood musical style portrayed in the epic MGM technicolor productions from Forties.
But save the best for last ,as Gene Kelly turns up as the fourth man as a singer dancer performing a tongue in cheek ,clownish drifter artist, who is as ordinary as they come but soon transforms into a huge musical star by the 'accursed fortune' of being close to the charmed billionairess .
But you are still left with a neat twist when DEAN MARTIN turns up in a nonsinging role as an impoverished janitor who was rejected by Shirley in her past life just because he was rich and the plot gets riotously funny as it turns upside down .
The stars are ebullient and the social satire works affectively with great humoresque sequences as does the SURREAL and ravishingly original art direction with some ingenious set pieces which are dazzling and uniquely shot,not to forget the musical numbers and the flashy but attractively tasteful colours with enticing choreography which will take your breath away .
A genuine Hollywood classic laden with real stars and as larger than life as you can make cinema as an art form.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The epitome of fluffy 1960s escapism with Shirley MacLaine at her kooky best and a dream cast of leading men sending up their screen images. Add to this a big budget, the most outrageous costumes of an outrageous era, a witty script by Comden and Green that blends romance, satire, slapstick and just a pinch of cynicism. It's big and overblown and all the better for it. And I'm glad to report that it looks fantastic on DVD in widescreen and vibrant colour.
Shirley MacLaine made several screwball comedies in the 60s such as Woman Times Seven, John Goldfarb Please Come Home, and The Bliss Of Mrs Blossom (why isn't that one on DVD???) but What A Way To Go is one of the best. She is helped immeasurably by a galaxy of stars portraying the men in her life - smooth and oily Dean Martin, rubber-faced and loose-limbed Dick Van Dyke, bearded and self-spoofing Paul Newman, surprisingly charming Robert Mitchum, the always delightful Gene Kelly, and a somewhat manic Robert Cummings. As an added treat, the Marx Brothers' old foil Margaret Dumont is wonderfully over-the-top as MacLaine's dragon of a mother. You just don't get casts like that anymore.
Another nice touch is the way several genres of film are spoofed as MacLaine wistfully recalls the best days of each of her marriages. The musical extravaganza with Gene Kelly, in particular, is a real joy. Kelly was over 50 but still had all the moves while MacLaine reminds us what a fantastic dancer she was - with equally fantastic legs. I also loved Paul Newman as the world-weary abstract artist. Many people forget that he made a number of comedies way back then and that he was pretty good in them.
What A Way To Go was not a big hit when it was released, primarily because it was made at a time when the emphasis was on youth and this film was seen as an instant relic that would only appeal to the Doris Day/Rock Hudson crowd. How wrong they were. Forty-odd years on, What A Way To Go is still fresh and funny.
Shirley MacLaine made several screwball comedies in the 60s such as Woman Times Seven, John Goldfarb Please Come Home, and The Bliss Of Mrs Blossom (why isn't that one on DVD???) but What A Way To Go is one of the best. She is helped immeasurably by a galaxy of stars portraying the men in her life - smooth and oily Dean Martin, rubber-faced and loose-limbed Dick Van Dyke, bearded and self-spoofing Paul Newman, surprisingly charming Robert Mitchum, the always delightful Gene Kelly, and a somewhat manic Robert Cummings. As an added treat, the Marx Brothers' old foil Margaret Dumont is wonderfully over-the-top as MacLaine's dragon of a mother. You just don't get casts like that anymore.
Another nice touch is the way several genres of film are spoofed as MacLaine wistfully recalls the best days of each of her marriages. The musical extravaganza with Gene Kelly, in particular, is a real joy. Kelly was over 50 but still had all the moves while MacLaine reminds us what a fantastic dancer she was - with equally fantastic legs. I also loved Paul Newman as the world-weary abstract artist. Many people forget that he made a number of comedies way back then and that he was pretty good in them.
What A Way To Go was not a big hit when it was released, primarily because it was made at a time when the emphasis was on youth and this film was seen as an instant relic that would only appeal to the Doris Day/Rock Hudson crowd. How wrong they were. Forty-odd years on, What A Way To Go is still fresh and funny.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a wonderful hoot of a movie and such fun to discover a film which is not always talked about. The Paris story with Paul Newman and the Robert Mitchum multi millionaire are my 2 faves but the film is funny and yet also clever and human and touching.
If you like Shirley Maclaine, you'll love this, if you like a good laugh, you'll love this, and if you want to see the single madest wardrobe ever (well next to Auntie Mame ) you'll love this!
If you like Shirley Maclaine, you'll love this, if you like a good laugh, you'll love this, and if you want to see the single madest wardrobe ever (well next to Auntie Mame ) you'll love this!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A gem
Somehow I must have missed this film when it was released. Don't know how, because the cast alone would have had me turning up at the cinema. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Brian Kavanagh
Feel good movie
I remember seeing this movie in the early 60s. After that it seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. Then I found it on Amazon. I had to have it . Read more
Published 15 months ago by Eric J. Noble
Probably Shirley MacLaine's most complete all-round performance
If you're a fan of Shirley MacLaine and enjoy her wonderful array of talents, singing, comedy, dancing, together with some serious acting too then this is one not to be... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2009 by Dazman
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"Our life is frittered away by detail.... Simplify, simplify." Henry David Thoreau.
Louisa May (with a string of last names) is on the physiatrist couch explaining her life as... Read more
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Published on 11 Feb 2006 by bernie
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