The April Fools

Director: Stuart Rosenberg Stuart Rosenberg

Overview

Virtually the first third of The April Fools takes place at a trendy party held by sharkish executive Ted Gunther (Peter Lawford). It is here that Howard Brubaker (Jack Lemmon), one of Gunther's employees, makes the acquaintance of the boss' lovely young trophy wife Catherine (Catherine Deneuve). It happens that Brubaker is unhappily wed to Phyllis (Sally Kellerman, who gives an excellent performance in an essentially one-note role) and that Catherine is equally unhappy in her relationship with Gunther. The two lost souls run off together, planning to fly to Paris. There's approximately 25 minutes' worth of plot in The April Fools; much of the leftover time is eaten up by a protracted drunken-driving sequence involving suburban hubbies Lemmon, Jack Weston, Harvey Korman and Kenneth Mars, and by a lengthy episode featuring Charles Boyer and Myrna Loy as a robust, free-thinking elderly married couple. Some good dialogue, notably Lemmon's shaggy-dog story about goldfish and Chinese food, cannot hide the slightness of the piece. Still, a great many filmgoers were charmed by The April Fools.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/28/2014
UPC:	0097368057340
Original Release:	1969
Rating:	PG
Source:	Paramount
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:34:00
Sales rank:	22,275

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jack Lemmon	Howard Brubaker
Catherine Deneuve	Catherine Gunther
Peter Lawford	Ted Gunther
Myrna Loy	Grace
Charles Boyer	Andre
Jack Weston	Potter
Harvey Korman	Benson
Sally Kellerman	Phyllis
Melinda Dillon	Leslie
Kenneth Mars	Don
David Doyle	Walters
Janice Carroll	Mimsy Shrader
Gary Dubin	Stanley Brubaker
Susan Barrett	Party Singer
Tom Aheame	Doorman
Dee Gardner	Secretary
Tom Ahearne	Doorman
Nancy Howard	Connie Archer
Hal David	Composer

Technical Credits

Hal Dresner

Stuart Rosenberg	Director
Gordon Carroll	Producer
Hal Dresner	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Positively drenched in the 1960s, The April Fools is extraordinarily dated -- but this is a plus as well as a minus for viewers with an appetite for that decade. Those who delight in the styles, fads, and fashions of the day will find a great deal to enjoy here, especially during the lengthy party sequence that opens the film (and features an almost surreal '60s version of "I Say a Little Prayer for You") and the chicks-in-a-cage nightclub segment. The sense of era also permeates the script, meaning that there's some tasty dialogue mixed in with a great deal of vapid philosophizing, weak one-liners, and ineffective attempts to capture a genuine freedom of spirit. Catherine Deneuve looks gorgeous and has some affecting moments, but, overall, her performance is disappointingly hesitant and rather shallow. (By contrast, Sally Kellerman makes her clichéd part feel much fuller than it has any right to be.) Best of all is Jack Lemmon, delivering another of his deeply felt performances that is both touching and hilarious -- and, at times, chillingly sad. The supporting cast is top notch, and the title song is classic Bacharach and David. Stuart Rosenberg's direction is rather muddled, but Fools' biggest problem is the screenplay. Still, watching the movie as a time capsule rather than a film can be quite illuminating -- and fun.