Posted: Thu., Dec. 31, 1964, 11:00pm PT

The Art of Love

By Variety Staff

Universal/Cherokee. Director Norman Jewison; Producer Ross Hunter; Writer Carl Reiner; Camera Russell Metty Editor Milton Carruth; Music Cy Coleman Art Alexander Golitzen, George Webb

James Garner Dick Van Dyke Elke Sommer Angie Dickinson Ethel Merman Carl Reiner

Ross Hunter's pic starts out as pure film satire aimed only at light, bright comedy entertainment. With the addition of a wide variety of often zesty elements it grows into a garbled mixture of coquettish comedy that has side-splitting moments, some unusually fine character performances, but so much of everything it never once settles down to a consistent point of view.

Story [by Richard Alan Simmons and William Sackheim] is of would-be American artist Dick Van Dyke who gives up to return to the rich fiancee in America who is paying his bills - and those of his roommate would-be author James Garner. Garner is so devastated at the loss of his meal ticket, he tries everything to keep Van Dyke in Paris, including a mock suicide that unwittingly backfires into what looks like the real thing. When Van Dyke reappears, he has to go into hiding because Garner has found a dead painter sells better than a live one.

Writer Carl Reiner and director Norman Jewison go aground by allowing too many bits to fill their pot. The picture looks like one that kept changing as each member of the company suggested some new cute bit.

(Color) Extract of a review from 1965. Running time: 99 MIN.