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Information
- Year
- 1971
- Runtime
- 98 min.
- Director
- Mike Nichols
- Genre
- Drama
- Rating *
- 7.0
- Votes *
- 7,229
- Checks
- 1,603
- Favs
- 79
- Dislikes
- 26
- Favs/checks
- 4.9% (1:20)
- Favs/dislikes
- 3:1
Top comments
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Siskoid
Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge was originally written as a play, and that's rather obvious. Small cast (an impressive one), mostly people talking, character exploration, gotcha. We follow two college roommates over the span of 25 years (I found this less readily apparent than the film wants me to, however - I would have believed less than 5), focusing on their sexual adventures. An early scene posits that people change based on who they are interacting with, but I'm not entirely sure the rest of the film agrees, or else Art Garfunkel's character melts into whatever relationship he's in, while Jack Nicholson's bucks the trend and rebels against that notion. Or maybe I'm not looking at it correctly, and the idea is better manifest in the way the two friends interact, with frank and coarse talk, as opposed to what they say and do in their relationships. Which one is the act? Garfunkel's Sandy is vulnerable with his ladies, and is only playing the part of a bro, agreeing with whatever is being said at the time. Nicholson's Jonathan is the reverse, playing games with women to get sex, but ultimately, a navel-gazing--no, a penis-gazing narcissist who is only ever about satisfying his libido. The men in this are pretty unlikable at any rate, and the richer, deeper, more effective, and better played characters are the women - Candice Bergen, Ann-Margaret, even Rita Moreno and Carol Kane in their smaller roles. But the movie, like its subjects, keeps abandoning them and returning to the central dicks. 4 years 7 months ago -
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 3 official lists
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This movie ranks #30 in Tim Dirks's 100+ Most Controversial Films of All-Time
Tim Dirks's 100+ Most Co…
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This movie ranks #138 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
The New York Times's Boo…
138 -
This movie ranks #383 in Jennifer Eiss's 500 Essential Cult Movies
Jennifer Eiss's 500 Esse…
383