The April Fools *** (1969, Jack Lemmon, Catherine Deneuve, Myrna Loy, Charles Boyer, Peter Lawford, Jack Weston) – Classic Movie Review 10,133

Director Stuart Rosenberg’s 1969 romantic comedy drama The April Fools stars the always essential Jack Lemmon, who saves a faded, unsparkling late-Sixties neo screwball concoction, in which he plays a sad husband, newly-promoted New York Wall Street broker Howard Brubaker, married to bitchy Phyllis Brubaker (Sally Kellerman).

Howard goes crazy for Catherine Gunther (Catherine Deneuve), the wife of his boss Ted Gunther (Peter Lawford), over 24 hours in Central Park and in New York discos. The pair, both in loveless marriages, the meet Grace Greenlaw (Myrna Loy) and Andre Greenlaw (Charles Boyer), happily married for years.

You could hardly have a better cast for it, and Lemmon is on his best form, and Deneuve is charming. So put the blame for any weaknesses on the unfocused screenplay and a miscast heavyweight director. Nevertheless, the characters and story and actors have enough warmth and charisma to pull you in and get you involved.

The writer is Hal Dresner.

Also in the cast are Harvey Korman, Sally Kellerman, Melinda Dillon, Kenneth Mars, Janice Carroll, David Doyle, Gary Dubin, Susan Barrett, Dee Gardner and Tom Ahearne.

 © Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,133

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