What's Up, Doc? (1972)

What's Up, Doc? (1972)

I was very much looking forward to seeing what director Peter Bogdanovich had in store with his 1972 hit, What’s Up, Doc? I was absolutely floored with his previous picture, The Last Picture Show. That movie was one of the best films of 1971 and it was an effective drama about a dying town. Even though screwball comedies are what I least enjoy, I thought Bogdanovich, would at least, elevate this movie beyond standard fare. Boy, was I ever wrong. The movie was painfully unfunny and I thought Barbara Streisand was annoying and she basically fits the definition of an obsessive stalker. There were some redeeming moments saving this movie from utter failure, mainly Ryan O’Neal’s Cary Grant-esque character and the San Francisco chase scene towards the end of the film.

History lesson time! Screwball comedies were very popular in the 1930’s. The genre essentially combined romance with over-the-top lunacy. 1938’s Bringing Up Baby is the perfect example of a screwball comedy done right and it would be the film to mention when discussing what exactly a screwball comedy is. In an attempt to revive the genre that seemingly died out some years before, Bogdanovich features many elements of a screwball: the controlling fiancé, a courtship that is clearly one-sided, coincidences that occur out of nowhere, and a great use of physical comedy. I applaud Bogdanovich and screenwriter Buck Henry (who is hit or miss with me. He wrote the fantastic 1967 film The Graduate and the mediocre 1970 film Catch-22) for their efforts to create a funny movie, but maybe it wasn’t meant to be.

Dr. Howard Bannister (Ryan O’Neal) is an easy-going music professor from Iowa. Along with his controlling fiancé Eunice (Madeleine Kahn), he travels to San Francisco to attend a convention hosted by Frederick Larrabee (Austin Pendleton). Howard is one of the finalists to receive Larrabee’s grant. Part of Howard’s research is involving rocks and prehistoric people. Howard’s life is changed when he meets Judy (Barbara Streisand). Judy is a brilliant, yet unfocused person whose life involves being kicked out of schooling institutions and mooching off hotel room service. When she lays eyes on Howard, it is love at first sight and she does all she can to intervene in Howard’s life. To complicate matters, Judy and Howard along with two others are checked into the same hotel with plaid bags looking exactly the same…so of course there is going to be a mix-up.

When it comes to overrated performances, Barbara Streisand’s performance comes to the top of the list. She really isn’t funny and she came across as overly annoying. At least Katherine Hepburn made it somewhat funny in the aforementioned 1938 film. Bogdanovich was able to make use of Streisand’s joyous singing voice fortunately. Ryan O’Neal at least plays his part effectively. He channels his inner Cary Grant in quite the remarkable way and he makes this role his own. Madeleine Kahn might be the film’s breakout star. She was great as the controlling fiancé of Howard’s.

The chase scene on the streets of San Francisco was done very well and might be the one of the only reasons to give the film a watch. You wouldn’t expect a chase involving a paper Chinese dragon to be part of a comedy, but here we are. This is one of the better executed chase scenes within the city limits of San Francisco in all of cinema.

I know my opinion is in the minority, but I stand by my opinion one hundred percent. The movie didn’t just work for me. It was unfunny, and it makes poor use of Barbara Streisand. All the movie really is a poor man’s version of Bringing Up Baby. But Ryan O’Neal, and that chase scene is the only saving graces of Peter Bogdanovich’s attempted screwball comedy revival. With this movie seen, I can say that Bogdanovich is no Howard Hawks. A complete disappointment for me.

My Grade: D