My God what a MESS!

[deleted]

I have to essentially agree with the above. I'm not even sure that Nichols really wanted to do a farce, but maybe felt he had to to get a hit after two (at least commercial) flops. I have nothing against dark comedy, on the contrary, but this movie isn't really that dark, or at least not comedically so. I mean, compare it to say, Arsenic and Old Lace.
Also, there is a difference between darkness and nihilism. It's entirely possible to approacch the subject of death, or even murder, from a comedic point of view, but you have to take the reality of death seriously for it to be funny. In contrast, Nichols said somewhere that this movie is about people who are so naive that they don't even know that when you kill someone they die. Well, then why should we care about them or anything else in this movie?

TCM just ran it again and... wow. Where does one begin? The forced dialogue, the complete lack of chemistry between all three leads, the unbelievably bad acting of same -- a real mess, indeed. It's kind of shocking when a supremely talented cast and crew come together to make a total bomb. However, there are drinking games to be had: take a shot every time Warren says "kiddo." You'll be passed out before the end of the first reel.

I will say this: Florence Stanley was a hoot and the art direction was divine.

I agree, I saw it last night as well, and I had never even heard of this movie before. It's no wonder they never show this film on tv, it's awful. I'm left scratching my head as to how you can take three outstanding actors and have them flop all over the screen like dying fish. There is no chemistry among the actors, and their timing, gestures, interaction, and dialogue are way off. It looks like Nichols was going for an edgy black comedy, but it doesn't come off that way. It's tough to blame the actors for this stinker, I'm sure they did the best they could.

Sorry, but you people are ridiculous. No "chemistry"? What a load. Nicholson, Beatty, and Channing were all funny together and Nicholson and Beatty in particular gave mostly excellent performances.

I think this is largely a case of some people being told a film stinks and then being unable to view it with an independent mind so they see what they've been told they should see. It's not the greatest movie ever made but it's funny and entertaining. The over-the-top denunciations here are dumb and false.

Talented people tried to do something different. Not the worst or best film ever made but it has its place in film history,

I actually remember seeing this in theaters with my parents when it first came out. The movie was wildly anticipated (Nicholson! Beatty! Nichols! How could it not work?). I remember that the placement of Beatty's name before Nicholson's (but with Nicholson's above Beatty's) was widely discussed.

But the movie was a disappointment in every respect, critically and at the box-office. It was one of those movies that seemed to open and close the same day. Even as a kid, I knew it was a dud.

It's failure was due to the egos of Nichols, Beatty and Nicholson. All three could trace their superstar status on projects that worked outside the mainstream movie industry (Nichols with "The Graduate", Beatty with "Bonnie & Clyde" and Nicholson with "Five Easy Pieces".

By 1975, all three WERE the mainstream and they ended up making the kind of self indulgent, bloated movie that their predecessors occasionally made and often ended or stalled their careers. This kind of film happens to every single star whether they're actors or directors. They get one or two major films behind them and suddenly they think everything they do is perfect despite evidence to the contrary.It's the kind of film they think is "different" or "ground breaking". They fail to realize how stale and out of touch it is (Peter Bogdanovich fell into the same trap with "At Long Last Love"). Add unfunny to the list of things going against "The Fortune". It's too bad because Channing is the only one who's worth watching in it and she is really good. The whole movie feels forced because it is.

Director Nichols must have realized how bad things had gotten because after this, he would not direct a major film eight years!

I agree with OP. What a train wreck.

"George is dead. Call me back."
RING. Hello?
"Hi. It's George."