Catfights and comedy? They have never gone together well, and never will. I never watch a catfight to laugh if you catch my drift.
Rich
It’s a lot worse, Rich. I never heard of this movie before. This movie seems largely forgotten despite Carol Burnett and Walter Matthau being big stars at the time. So out of curiosity I watched it.
It’s a very strange uncomfortable movie to watch. I think it’s suppose to be a “comedy drama,” but I found it to be utter cringe.
It starts out looking like a mildly funny romantic comedy in the “opposites attract” mold. It then turns into a dull drab storyline that suddenly plunges into seriously depressing territory, then plods along in a dreary second half.
Oh yeah, the catfight. I think it was supposed to be comic relief plopped in to break up the melancholy. The fight looks like slapstick comedy involving a broom, garden hose, barrel over the head, and a wig coming off. It has no context or purpose in the overall bleak mood and theme of the story. The fighting women were best friends, but had a falling out when Gertrude accused Tillie of trying to reveal her age. Seriously? Geraldine Page was an excellent actress, but her character is ridiculously over the top and out of place in this one. In the very next scene after the catfight, Tillie is in a mental health sanitarium. Hilarious. To be fair, the film ends on a touching hopeful note.
I think the theme and message of the movie is that marriage rarely meets our expectations. Success involves managing your disappointments and navigating tragedies by not shutting down communication or emotions. But scenes alternating from dark and depressing to absurd ( e.g. the catfight) came off to me as disorienting.
