Zee and Co. (1972)

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

I have an iron-clad rule that any movie with slo-mo is a dog. It's usually a bad sports-themed movie that needs slo-mo to make things seem more dramatic than they really are. It could be a romantic movie where two lovers ran slo-mo across a beach toward each other's out-stretched arms. In this case it's two lovers playing a sport (ping-pong) over the opening credits. And sure enough, the movie is a bowzer. Especially laughable is watching two members of the Elvis Presley generation cavorting to faux rock & roll. There's a little fake Beatles (OK, Ravi Shankar) and some fake Led Zeppelin, and who knows what else. Susannah York is as inert is radon. At certain points I thought Michael Caine was about to fall asleep. At least Liz games it up in that fright wig. She deserved better material.

X,Y&Z stars that romantic trio of Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, and Susannah York. I'm thinking Richard Burton must have been working on another project so Michael Caine was substituted in a part that seemed clearly written for Burton.Caine and Taylor are a pair of married somethings who are starting to look a lot like George and Martha from Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. That would be another 20 years or so. At the moment they still have a lot of life and lovers to experience. But for reasons not fully explained Taylor resents York, a widow with two small children far more than any of the others Caine has had. She no doubts sees a slightly younger version of herself. It really is because while the two women are having a most civilized lunch to amicably dispose of the matter of Caine, York says something to Taylor that really reminds her of herself. Something that later Taylor uses to her advantage. At the end we don't really know what's in store for this triangle.Caine and Taylor have the showier roles, but York gives a nice understated performance. Not one hint of the end I will reveal, but it really does kind of blow Caine's mind.I'm sure this had Richard Burton in mind originally. Watch and see if you don't agree.

X, Y and Zee is one of those rare films that can be perceived differently now than when it was originally released and be more enjoyable. However, one has to be in the right frame of mind. As a straight drama, it can be trite, uneven and a bit preposterous. But viewed as a kind of fascinating cultural time capsule with an over-the-top performance by Elizabeth Taylor as the scorned wife of a philandering Michael Caine, it can actually be quite entertaining and even hilarious. Never has any woman tried so hard to keep her man in the face of dire circumstances while simultaneously wreaking havoc on just about everyone. X, Y and Zee is a strange little film, but if you're a Taylor fan and don't mind overlooking a few flaws, you might find it quite entertaining and amusing. One thing for sure...this film belongs to Taylor; without her, it would be nothing.

What film fan does not adore La Liz who more than anyone gives movies the sparkle they deserve. After all, we go to the movies to escape the rat race for a couple hours - no other reason, right? And Liz never disappoints. What makes her so great is the simple fact she knows she's the best and she always gives her best. Even in a pedestrian vehicle like this one, it is impossible to ignore La Liz in all her glory. She is what stardom is about and will always be the ultimate star regardless of what the AFI says. Number 7??? Give me a break! La Liz defines stardom because she is the ultimate star and the AFI can go blow smoke rings. Michael Caine, of course, is always wonderful with the ability to make you interested even if you do not want to be. He manages to be incredibly sexy without half trying and that more than anything else is why he is a star. The script is utter nonsense without a single redeeming moment in it but Taylor and Caine make the most of it and it is impossible not to care what happens.