Only When I Larf (1968)

hyped garbage

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Here's a curiosity that was actually photographed on locations in New York, Great Britain and, of all places, Lebanon. All this money has been poured on to a script that, in my opinion, would hardly make the sort of film for which audiences would line up in New York, L.A. and London. True, it's moderately suspenseful and mildly amusing, and it does feature some amusing turns by Richard Attenborough in various guises. David Hemmings is likewise skillfully smooth and the romantic end is held up more than ably by the attractively costumed Aexandra Stewart. All the same, I would have thought this was not the sort of movie that would induce a box- office stampede. Even lensed on a quarter of this one's stunning budget, I can't see the producers getting their money back, let alone making a profit. Maybe they were searching for a really gigantic tax loss? Well, they certainly found it. Mind you, I'm certainly not complaining, nor is the other second- string critic, sitting a few rows behind me. The first-release theatre is otherwise empty so far as I can see, though there may be one or two paying customers downstairs. The movie has a great cast, and the behind-the-camera credits are interesting too. Here's Basil Dearden, would you believe, working without his usual partner, Michael Relph. Perhaps this is the reason :Only When I Larf" doesn't look like his other films, although it is slickly made. Perhaps there are a few too many close-ups and it is certainly a rather talkative script which Dearden tries to offset by stratagems like the 180 degrees turn around the breakfast table. And he certainly makes effective use of his real locations. Now, I could continue to wander through the credits and hand out jerseys, right, left and center, but I'll content myself by observing that production values are nothing short of outstanding. Everyone behind the camera does a really great job! Incidentally, the title joke is supposed to be unfunny. Would you believe that two contemporary critics missed the point? And they're supposed to be the leaders in this profession. I'm just a second- string reviewer, but at least I stay awake.

Richard Attenborough, David Hemmings and Alexandra Stewart are three con-men in this enjoyable late 60's comedy/drama. The plot is episodic: There's a great pre-credit con in New York and a couple of other cons which aren't related, but the core of the story is the relationship between the three.Attenborough and Hemmings work well together; the old, seasoned pro and the young pretender who come from different backgrounds but who clash not only about life, politics and who's got the better ideas, but over Stewart who is very attractive, sexy and alluring (and who has plans of her own).The direction is taut, the dialogue sparkles with little gems, the look is very glossy for its time and the acting is top notch. Like a lot of 60's caper films, it's great fun to watch.

This is a glossy tongue-in-cheek tale of two conmen and their girlfriend accomplice constantly trying to keep one step a head of the game with mixed success.A love-triangle develops as the young protege tries to take over from his old mentor and to steal his girlfriend to boot. Needless to say, their feuding only complicates things and leads to a good twist at the end.The good-natured direction is upbeat and enthusiastic, the acting is accomplished right down to the supporting cast and the theme tune by Ron Grainer is catchy and interspersed by pleasant incidental scores. This movie is well worth viewing should you be lucky enough to find it on tv one afternoon.