Plaza Suite (film)

Last updated

Plaza Suite
PlazaSuiteFilmPoster.jpg
Original poster
Directed by Arthur Hiller
Written by Neil Simon
Based on Plaza Suite
by Neil Simon
Produced by Howard W. Koch
Starring
Cinematography Jack Marta
Edited by Frank Bracht
Music by Maurice Jarre
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • May 12, 1971 (1971-05-12)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4,000,000 (rentals) [1]

Plaza Suite is a 1971 American comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller. The screenplay by Neil Simon is based on his 1968 play of the same title. The film stars Walter Matthau, Maureen Stapleton, Barbara Harris and Lee Grant.

Contents

Plot

Like the play, the film is divided into three acts, all set in Suite 719 of New York City's Plaza Hotel. The first focuses on not-so-blissfully wedded couple Sam and Karen Nash, who are revisiting their honeymoon suite in an attempt - by Karen - to bring the love back into their marriage. Her plan backfires and the two become embroiled in a heated argument about whether Sam is having an affair with his secretary, Miss McCormack. Sam eventually walks out, allegedly to attend to urgent business, and Karen is left to reflect on how much things have changed since they were newlyweds.

The second act involves a meeting between Hollywood movie producer Jesse Kiplinger and his old flame, suburban housewife Muriel Tate. Muriel - aware of his reputation as a smooth-talking ladies' man - has come to the hotel for nothing more than a chat between old friends, promising herself she will not stay too long. Jesse, however, has other plans in mind and repeatedly attempts to seduce her.

The third act revolves around married couple Roy and Norma Hubley on the wedding day of their daughter Mimsey, who has locked herself in the suite's bathroom and stubbornly refuses to come out. The segment is filled with increasingly outrageous slapstick moments depicting her parents' frantic attempts to cajole her into attending her wedding while the gathered guests await the trio's arrival downstairs.

Cast

Production

In the Broadway production of the original play, all three couples were played by George C. Scott and Maureen Stapleton. For the film adaptation, director Arthur Hiller decided to cast Walter Matthau in the three male roles; he again used Stapleton, but only in the first segment, and instead used Barbara Harris in the second segment and Lee Grant in the third. Screenwriter Neil Simon was unhappy with the results. "I didn't like the cast. I didn't like the picture. I would only have used Walter in the last sequence and probably Lee Grant. I think Walter Matthau was wrong to play all three parts. That's a trick Peter Sellers can do." He continued, "I have to accept some of the blame for the film. I kept all the action in one room. It was rather confining. We could have gone into other suites. I didn't think it out, but I learned from that." [2] Matthau would work with Lee Grant's daughter and future actress Dinah Manoff a decade later in I Ought to Be in Pictures .

Critical reception

Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film "an aggressively tiresome movie," writing that in the transition from stage to screen, "I don't have the feeling that anything much has been lost, but rather that nothing much was ever there." [3] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "Well written, directed and acted, 'Plaza Suite' is one of the most diverting films of the year." [4] Arthur D. Murphy of Variety called the film an "excellent adaptation" of the play, with "generally very good direction." [5] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a bright, diverting comedy" that was "enriched by not one but four stop-the-presses performances." [6] Megan Rosenfeld of The Washington Post stated that "what was amusing on the stage looks stiff and unfunny on the screen. The three playlets that make up the script get progressively worse, going from bad to terrible to execrable." [7] Tom Milne of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "Some pleasantly witty dialogue and sound performances make Plaza Suite a relatively painless experience, though Arthur Hiller's direction is killingly dull, and the very theatricality of the whole conception makes it look dangerously thin and pointless as a film." [8]

On Rotten Tomatoes, Plaza Suite holds a rating of 67% from 21 reviews. [9]

Awards and nominations

The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy but lost to Fiddler on the Roof . [10] Maureen Stapleton was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture but lost to Ann-Margret in Carnal Knowledge .

Home media

The film was released on Region 1 DVD on November 25, 2003. [11] It is in anamorphic widescreen format with audio tracks in English and French and subtitles in English.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Interiors</i> 1978 film by Woody Allen

Interiors is a 1978 American drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt, Richard Jordan, Diane Keaton, E. G. Marshall, Geraldine Page, Maureen Stapleton, and Sam Waterston.

<i>The Bad News Bears</i> 1976 film by Michael Ritchie

The Bad News Bears is a 1976 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Bill Lancaster. It stars Walter Matthau as an alcoholic ex-baseball pitcher who becomes a coach for a youth baseball team known as the Bears. Alongside Matthau, the film's cast includes Tatum O'Neal, Vic Morrow, Joyce Van Patten, Ben Piazza, Jackie Earle Haley, and Alfred W. Lutter. Its score, composed by Jerry Fielding, adapts the principal themes of Bizet's opera Carmen.

<i>Carnal Knowledge</i> (film) 1971 film by Mike Nichols

Carnal Knowledge is a 1971 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Jules Feiffer. It stars Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, Art Garfunkel, and Ann-Margret, with Rita Moreno and Cynthia O'Neal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Stapleton</span> American actress (1925–2006)

Lois Maureen Stapleton was an American actress. She received numerous accolades becoming one of the few actors to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Tony Awards. She has also received a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Grammy Award.

<i>Plaza Suite</i> Play written by Neil Simon

Plaza Suite is a comedy play by Neil Simon.

<i>The Prisoner of Second Avenue</i> 1975 film by Melvin Frank

The Prisoner of Second Avenue is a 1975 American black comedy film written by Neil Simon, directed and produced by Melvin Frank and starring Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft. Neil Simon adapted the screenplay from his 1971 Broadway play.

<i>There Was a Crooked Man...</i> (1970 film) 1970 film by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

There Was a Crooked Man... is a 1970 American Western film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Kirk Douglas and Henry Fonda. It was the only western made by Mankiewicz. It was written by David Newman and Robert Benton, their first script after Bonnie and Clyde.

<i>Play It Again, Sam</i> (film) 1972 film by Herbert Ross

Play It Again, Sam is a 1972 American comedy film written by and starring Woody Allen, based on his 1969 Broadway play of the same title. The film was directed by Herbert Ross, instead of Allen, who usually directs his own written work.

<i>A New Leaf</i> (film) 1971 film directed by Elaine May

A New Leaf is a 1971 American black comedy film written and directed by Elaine May in her directorial debut based on the short story "The Green Heart" by Jack Ritchie. It stars May, Walter Matthau, Jack Weston, George Rose, James Coco, and Doris Roberts. Prior to the film, May was better known for her collaboration as a stage comedian with The Graduate director Mike Nichols.

<i>The Arrangement</i> (film) 1969 film directed by Elia Kazan

The Arrangement is a 1969 American drama film directed by Elia Kazan, based upon his 1967 novel of the same title.

<i>California Suite</i> (film) 1978 film

California Suite is a 1978 American anthology comedy film directed by Herbert Ross. The screenplay by Neil Simon is based on his 1976 play of the same name. Similar to his earlier Plaza Suite, the film focuses on the dilemmas of guests staying in a suite in a luxury hotel. Maggie Smith won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.

<i>Cold Turkey</i> (1971 film) 1971 film by Norman Lear

Cold Turkey is a 1971 satirical black comedy film starring Dick Van Dyke and a long list of comedic actors. The film was written for the screen and produced by Norman Lear, who also directed the film, marking his directorial debut and his only directorial feature film credit. Cold Turkey was based on the unpublished novel I'm Giving Them Up for Good by Margaret and Neil Rau. Randy Newman composed and performed original music for the film.

<i>The Iceman Cometh</i> (1973 film) 1973 film by John Frankenheimer

The Iceman Cometh is a 1973 American drama film directed by John Frankenheimer. The screenplay, written by Thomas Quinn Curtiss, is based on Eugene O'Neill's 1946 play of the same name. The film was produced by Ely Landau for the American Film Theatre, which from 1973 to 1975 presented thirteen film adaptations of noted plays.

<i>The Couch Trip</i> 1988 film by Michael Ritchie

The Couch Trip is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie. It stars Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, Charles Grodin and Donna Dixon. It is loosely based on the 1971 novel, The Couch Trip, by Ken Kolb.

<i>Drive, He Said</i> 1971 film by Jack Nicholson

Drive, He Said is a 1971 American independent film directed by Jack Nicholson, in his directorial debut, and starring William Tepper, Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Robert Towne and Henry Jaglom. Based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Jeremy Larner, the film follows a disenchanted college basketball player who is having an affair with a professor's wife, as well as dealing with his counterculture roommate's preoccupation with avoiding the draft in the Vietnam War. The film features supporting performances by David Ogden Stiers, Cindy Williams, and Michael Warren. The screenplay was adapted by Larner and Nicholson, and included uncredited contributions from Terrence Malick.

<i>Portnoys Complaint</i> (film) 1972 film by Ernest Lehman

Portnoy's Complaint is a 1972 American comedy film written and directed by Ernest Lehman. His screenplay is based on the bestselling 1969 novel of the same name by Philip Roth. It was Lehman's first and only directorial effort. The film starred Richard Benjamin, Karen Black and Lee Grant, with Jack Somack, Jeannie Berlin and Jill Clayburgh in supporting roles.

<i>The Sunshine Boys</i> (1975 film) 1975 film

The Sunshine Boys is a 1975 American comedy film directed by Herbert Ross and produced by Ray Stark, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and based on the 1972 play by Neil Simon, about two legendary comics brought together for a reunion and revival of their famous act. The cast included real-life experienced vaudevillian actor George Burns as Lewis, Walter Matthau as Clark, and Richard Benjamin as Ben, with Lee Meredith, F. Murray Abraham, Rosetta LeNoire, Howard Hesseman, and Ron Rifkin in supporting roles.

<i>Neil Simons I Ought to Be in Pictures</i> 1982 film by Herbert Ross

I Ought to Be in Pictures is a 1982 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross and based on Neil Simon's 1980 play of the same name. The film stars Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, and Dinah Manoff. Other actors who have supporting roles are Lance Guest, Eugene Butler, David Faustino, Martin Ferrero and Michael Dudikoff.

<i>The Seven-Per-Cent Solution</i> (film) 1976 film by Herbert Ross

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is a 1976 Oscar-nominated British-American mystery film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Nicholas Meyer. It is based on Meyer's 1974 novel of the same name and stars Nicol Williamson, Robert Duvall, Alan Arkin, and Laurence Olivier.

The Cosmic Eye is a 1986 American animated science fiction film directed by Faith Hubley and featuring the voices of Dizzy Gillespie, Maureen Stapleton and Jack Warden.

References

  1. ↑ "Updated All-time Film Champs". Variety . January 9, 1974. p. 60.
  2. ↑ Thames, Stephanie (June 15, 2006). "Plaza Suite". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  3. ↑ Canby, Vincent (May 14, 1971). "Screen: Adaptation of Neil Simon's 'Plaza Suite'". The New York Times . p. 46.
  4. ↑ Siskel, Gene (June 25, 1971). "Plaza Suite". Chicago Tribune . Section 2, p. 5.
  5. ↑ Murphy, Arthur D. (May 12, 1971). "Film Reviews: Plaza Suite". Variety . p. 19.
  6. ↑ Champlin, Charles (June 20, 1971). "Dialog Counts in Film Version of 'Plaza Suite'". Los Angeles Times . p. 1.
  7. ↑ Rosenfeld, Megan (July 9, 1971). "Plaza Suite". The Washington Post . p. B6.
  8. ↑ Milne, Tom (April 1972). "Plaza Suite". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 39 (459): 76.
  9. ↑ "Plaza Suite". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Plaza Suite". Golden Globes. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Plaza Suite". DVD Talk. November 21, 2003. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.