Hoffman (1970)

Wonderful Movie

Pretty Good

best movie i've ever seen.

Absolutely the worst movie.

I went into this not expecting much given that a lot of Sellers' output is somewhat dire. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this relativity unknown movie. Sellers plays an older man who is attempting to romance a younger woman by coercion. At the start of the movie we are not sure of the setup, Sellers ramps up the creep tension in the opening scenes, this is a long way from his usual slapstick but effectively done. I'm not sure Sellers is a good actor in the traditional sense, his expressions and speech are somewhat over-mannered, but it's effective in this setting. The target of Sellers' affection spends the first 30 minutes of the movie screwing up her face like a naughty 5 year old, but she is redeemed by her almost unbearable cuteness. Anyway, without giving too much away, she is forced into a choice. What transpires is quite interesting, in the context of the movie the decision she makes is assumed to be the correct one given the context, a happy ending as such. However, to the modern viewer the situation seems more morally ambiguous and the rationale implied somewhat self serving and narrow, who is exploiting who? An interesting movie for both Sellers' performance and as a time capsule of 60s morality.

For a 25+ year old film it ages well. Perhaps more appreciated now than when it was released since Peter Sellers fame had diminished it is easier, I suspect, for the audience to see him as "everyman".I watched this after watching the HBO biography of Peter Sellers (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers). It makes "Hoffman" all the better.I wonder how it was received when it first came out since that was at the beginning of the Women's Liberation Movement. If I were 21 I'd probably see Mr. Hoffman as a dirty old man but being almost 50 my opinion is different. We all know this is a fantasy. Mr. Sellers himself knows this is a fantasy.I found it a moving and well acted drama with a touch of comedy and romance. Rent it if you can find it.

This happens to be one of the most underrated films of Peter Sellers' career. For some reason the critics and book writers have (in their majority) faced the film as a comedy (have they seen the film?), when it is clear it is a drama with just little sparkles of comedy...Peter Sellers and Sinead Cusack are wonderful in their roles and I have to admit I have seen the film more than 10 times in my life (I never have enough!). For the critisism the film faced, one can say that generally Peter Sellers was in the target of certain columnists who never fail to badmouth the successful and the famous (a bad comment always sells more). So, the film (and others of this era of Sellers' career)was an easy target to hit the star and not judge the film for its essence... The film also features wonderful music and it's a pity the soundtrack was never released...

Matt Monro sings the theme, "If There Ever Is A Next Time," written by Don Black. Enjoyed the movie - Peter Sellers is always good and the movie illustrates his bent for humor that's black and gentle at the same time - and the music might make you into a Matt Monro fan. A good test for your local video store.