Jump to content

California Suite (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Broadway play, see California Suite.

California Suite
Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Directed byHerbert Ross
Written byNeil Simon
Based onCalifornia Suite
by Neil Simon
Produced byRay Stark
Starring
CinematographyDavid M. Walsh
Edited byMichael A. Stevenson
Music byClaude Bolling
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • December 22, 1978 (1978-12-22)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$42 million[1]

California Suite is a 1978 American anthology comedy film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Neil Simon, based on his 1976 stage play of the same name. Similar in format to Simon's earlier work Plaza Suite, the film follows four separate stories involving guests staying in a luxury hotel suite in Beverly Hills.

California Suite received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Simon, with Maggie Smith winning Best Supporting Actress.[2] Smith also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.[3]

Plot

[edit]

The film follows four separate stories set in a suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

In Visitors from London, British actress Diana Barrie and her antiques dealer husband Sidney Cochran are in Los Angeles for the Academy Awards. Diana has been nominated for Best Actress for a comedic film and is nervous about attending the ceremony. As the evening approaches, tensions rise between the couple. Their interactions reveal the strain in their marriage, particularly due to Sidney's homosexuality, which is acknowledged but rarely discussed between them.

In Visitors from New York, Hannah Warren, a New York-based editor, arrives in Los Angeles to meet with her ex-husband, Bill Warren, a screenwriter. Their teenage daughter Jenny has left New York to live with Bill in California. Hannah and Bill argue over where Jenny should live, revealing their long-standing differences in lifestyle, parenting, and values. Despite their arguments, both want what is best for their daughter and must find a compromise.

In Visitors from Philadelphia, Marvin Michaels, a businessman from Philadelphia, arrives in Los Angeles ahead of his wife, Millie, to attend a family bar mitzvah. The night before Millie's arrival, Marvin's brother Harry sends a prostitute named Bunny to his room as a surprise. Marvin wakes up to find Bunny unconscious in his bed. As Millie is on her way to the suite, Marvin frantically tries to hide Bunny and any evidence of the incident before his wife arrives.

In Visitors from Chicago, two couples—Dr. Chauncey Gump and his wife Lola, and Dr. Willis Panama and his wife Bettina—are vacationing together in California. A hotel reservation mix-up forces them into a smaller space. Tensions between the men escalate throughout the trip, culminating in a heated and overly competitive tennis match. Their conflict causes increasing discomfort among the group and disrupts the vacation.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

California Suite was filmed on location at the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center, and along Rodeo Drive.[4]

The scene depicting Diana and Sidney’s arrival at the Academy Awards was filmed during the actual arrivals at the 50th Academy Awards in April 1978. The subdued reaction from the real-life crowd has been attributed to their unfamiliarity with the fictional characters, Diana Barrie and Sidney Cochran.

The paintings featured in the film’s opening credits were created by pop artist David Hockney.

While the original stage play featured two male and two female actors portraying multiple roles across different segments, the film adaptation cast different actors for each role.[5]

Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, California Suite holds an approval rating of 48% based on 27 reviews, and an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Maggie Smith's acidic turn is the standout in this stacked ensemble, but broad characterizations and an unsure tone make for a disappointingly uneven adaptation of Neil Simon's episodic play."[6]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times called California Suite "the most agreeably realised Simon film in years" and praised the direction by Herbert Ross and the ensemble cast, stating, "It all works in California Suite, not only because the material is superior Simon, but also because the writer and the director have assembled a dream cast."[7] The film was later included on The New York Times list of the Best 1000 Movies Ever Made.[8]

Variety noted that the film diverged from the original stage play's format, describing the adaptation as "less than successful" due to its shift from distinct playlets to a more integrated narrative structure. The review stated that the film "veers from poignant emotionalism to broad slapstick in sudden shifts."[9]

Time Out New York described the film as a "quick and varied comedy, highly suited to Simon's machine-gun gag-writing," highlighting performances by Jane Fonda, Walter Matthau, and Elaine May. However, the review also noted that some segments were less successful, referring to them as "a bit glum."[10]

Channel 4 called the film "an expertly crafted slick movie" but felt that it ultimately lacked emotional depth, concluding that it was "emotional sushi rather than satisfying catharsis."[11]

Film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars in his annual movie guide, describing it as a "pleasant time-filler" with a "nice jazz score by Claude Bolling." He singled out Smith and Michael Caine for their performances, while describing the segment featuring Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby as the least effective.[12]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Maggie Smith Won [2]
Best Adapted Screenplay Neil Simon Nominated
Best Production Design Albert Brenner and Marvin March Nominated
British Academy Film Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role Maggie Smith Nominated [13]
Evening Standard British Film Awards Best Actress Won [14]
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated [3]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Maggie Smith Won[a]
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Best Supporting Actress Won [15]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Jane Fonda[b] Won [16]
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actor Michael Caine 4th Place [17]
Best Actress Jane Fonda 2nd Place
Maggie Smith 4th Place
Best Supporting Actress 3rd Place
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Supporting Actress Runner-up [17]
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Comedy – Adapted from Another Medium Neil Simon Nominated [17]

Home media

[edit]

California Suite was released in the United States on VHS by Columbia Pictures in 1983,[18] and on DVD in both fullscreen and widescreen formats on January 2, 2002.[19]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Tied with Ellen Burstyn for Same Time, Next Year.
  2. ^ Also for Comes a Horseman and Coming Home

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "California Suite, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "The 51st Academy Awards (1979) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 5 October 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "California Suite". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "California Suite Locations". en.kinorium.com. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  5. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  6. ^ "California Suite". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  7. ^ Canby, Vincent (December 22, 1978). "Screen: Simon's 'Suite' Comes Back Home:Things Go Wrong". The New York Times. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  8. ^ The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made. The New York Times via Internet Archive. Published April 29, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  9. ^ "Film Reviews: California Suite". Variety. December 31, 1977.
  10. ^ "California Suite". Time Out New York. February 4, 2013. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013.
  11. ^ "Channel 4 review". Archived from the original on 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
  12. ^ Maltin, Leonard (2013). 2014 Movie Guide. Penguin Books. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-451-41810-4.
  13. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1980". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  14. ^ "Evening Standard British Film Awards". IMDb. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  15. ^ "KCFCC Award Winners – 1970-79". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. 14 December 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "The 4th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c "California Suite - Awards". Mubi. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  18. ^ "California Suite". VHSCollector. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  19. ^ "California Suite". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=California_Suite_(film)&oldid=1284766866"
pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy