HealtH ** (1980, Carol Burnett, Glenda Jackson, James Garner, Lauren Bacall, Dick Cavett, Paul Dooley) – Classic Movie Review 7669

Director Robert Altman’s 1989 comedy HealtH tries but fails to repeat the success of his 1978 triumph A Wedding in another starry satire, this time about a health food convention at a luxury hotel in Florida’s St Petersburg. There a political organisation is deciding over a new president.

A lot might be expected from a cast that includes Lauren Bacall, Glenda Jackson, James Garner, Carol Burnett, Paul Dooley, Henry Gibson, Dick Cavett, Diane Stilwell, Donald Moffat and Alfre Woodard, but HealtH is in precarious HealtH. The laughs are thin and the movie runs out of steam around half way. Unfortunately, we have to blame the shortcomings of the screenplay by Altman, his regular actor Dooley and Frank Barhydt. HealtH is worth a try though. The premise is good and there are some good ideas and characters too.

The title is an acronym, standing for ‘Happiness, Energy And Longevity Through Health’, so there.

Also in the cast are Ann Ryerson, MacIntyre Dixon, Margery Bond, Georgann Johnson, Mina Kolb and Allan F Nicholls.

Altman and Frank Barhydt collaborated well, also working together on Quintet (1979), Tanner ’88 (1988), The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), and Kansas City (1996).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7669

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com