marcslope Liv Ullman, lovely in a series of chic early-'70s outfits, is not quite right for the cougar part played memorably onstage by Julie Harris (and Lauren Bacall on tour). She never relaxes, she doesn't look like she's having fun, and the chemistry between her and Edward Albert, as the 22- year-old she falls into bed with, is hardly overwhelming. The miscasting doesn't end there, with Gene Kelly rather creepy as the weak but loving ex-husband who sets things right for the mismatched couple; not for the first time, he seems more in love with himself than anyone around him, and it's embarrassing to watch his character try and pass himself off as 40. Some good character actors hang around and do what they can to make the stage machinery work-- Binnie Barnes, Don Porter, Nancy Walker--and there's some picturesque Greek location filming, and a pretty Michel Legrand theme. But the stage-rhythm dialog doesn't resonate, the outcome's never in doubt, and Liv looks like she'd be much happier being miserable in an Ingmar Bergman opus.

drednm Based on a hit Broadway play that won a Tony Award for Julie Harris, 40 CARATS is a comedy about a 40-ish woman who is pursued by a 22-year-old man. Liv Ullmann, looking very pretty, stars as the New York City realtor who meets the young man (Edward Albert) while on vacation in Greece. By coincidence (and a big one) he meets her again when he shows up for a blind date with her daughter (Deborah Raffin). It turns out he's from a wealthy family which interests Ullmann's swinging mother (Binnie Barnes).Into this mix are Ullmann's first husband (Gene Kelly), her secretary (Nancy Walker), a hick from Texas (Billy Green Bush), a customer (Natalie Schafer), and Albert's parents (Don Porter, Rosemary Murphy).The plot revolves around the machinations and misconceptions of who is dating who and is it proper for Ullmann to marry a much younger man.Ullmann is good as the "middle-aged" woman. Albert is sort of creepy. Kelly is annoying as is Green Bush. Walker gets in a few zingers. Raffin is a blank. But in her final film appearance the 70-year-old Binnie Barnes (looking decades younger) steals every scene she's in as a swinging grandmother who's always borrowing Raffin's clothes and can't wait to hit the dance floor. This role was played by Glenda Farrell on Broadway.

cteichma Where to begin? Pretty much everything about this movie is absolutely dreadful. The plot is a shallow fairy-tale with the most improbable twists and turns, and its central theme - that where true loves reigns, age difference simply does not matter - is just plain silly. By way of proof we have a recent high school graduate fall in love with and marry a 43 year old multi-millionaire from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and 40 year old Liv Ullmann fall in love and marry 22 year old Edward Albert, by coincidence the son of another multi-millionaire. All of that is bad enough, but what really put me off is the way Ullmann - an obviously sensitive and intelligent woman - is shown as being overcome and indeed pushed around by a creepy guy with no personality who grabs at her to "help her undress" and is just generally obnoxious in his self-satisfied smugness. Ullmann looks attractive enough to make her a plausible love object for a 22 year-old, but the other way around? Goodness! Her acting is at least better than that of the rest of the cast, which is really not saying much. To round it all off Gene Kelly gives a hammy performance as Ullmann's ex-husband. So - terrible on every level: plot, acting, message. Zero stars if that option were available.

pockey11-1 I first saw this movie when I was in high school in the 70's. I love old movies and have an extensive DVD library. This movie takes me back to high school memories. I took a movie class in high school and this was the first movie I ever saw with this actress. I collect all kinds of movies and this one will soon be in my collection. This is my first writing of any comment on movies that I have seen or would like to see. I saw an article in a book about Liv Ullman and got to thinking of movies I have seen her in in the past. 40 carats was one of them. I just wanted to say thanks for the opportunity to let me write to you and tell you this.