California Suite

Based on the play by Neil Simon, the stories of four separate groups, all staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

California Suite is what happens when you have a big name writer, in this case Neil Simon, attract a stellar cast, only to waste them on an uneven script.

The film is made up of four stories, each sharing the same setting of the Beverly Hills Hotel. The first story features Jane Fonda and Alan Alda as a divorced couple meeting to discuss the future of their daughter. It’s a well-written piece that holds your interest, but fails to pack the dramatic punch the premise implies, mainly because you don’t get much time to invest yourself into the characters.

The second story concerns a British actress, played by Maggie Smith, and her gay husband, played by Michael Caine. As with the first piece, it’s well written, and exceptionally acted (Smith won an Oscar for her performance) but not quite as poignant as it could be.

The third story follows two doctors from Chicago, played by Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby, and their wives, as their vacation devolves into one mishap after another. It’s a sequence that starts well, and then veers into screwball comedy territory, before going wonderfully over-the-top and providing some of the film’s best laughs. The end battle-royal between Pryor and Cosby will have you in tears from laughter.

Finally, the forth story deals with a Philadelphia man, played by Walter Matthau, trying to dispose of a passed out call girl with his wife in the next room. It’s a solid bit that works thanks to Matthau’s impeccable timing, but it’s still a one-joke story.

Ultimately, California Suite has to feel like something of a disappointment given the sheer amount of talent in front of the camera. While it’s not an outright disaster, being merely okay just doesn’t cut it.