SimonJack There aren't many films made in which a leading lady has half a dozen leading men to play opposite her. But, Shirley MacLaine has the honors in this film, "What a Way to Go." Louisa May Foster goes from one man to another in marriage, only because each one dies. All the deaths happen in the pursuit of or because of each man's wealth, riches and power. And, that's one of the topics that this film pokes fun at, spoofs and lampoons. There are many subjects that get a good going over with comedy and satire. Art, especially modern art gets a not so subtle bashing. The easy, simple life gets a somewhat less ridiculing than the life of riches, greed, power and endless work. The movies and Hollywood get a good mocking, mostly in fantasy daydream sequences. Fans get their fair share of ridicule, and movie stars take it on the chin. Psychiatry is knocked as is the Internal Revenue Service. High society and the aristocracy of blue bloods get a little knocking. And, business competition and consumerism get no respect. MacLaine does some of the funny stuff and has some of the humor in the dialog. But most of both are provided by her male co-stars, all of whom were leading men of Hollywood. Taken in order, they are Dean Martin as Leonard Crawley, Dick Van Dyke as Edgar Hopper and Paul Newman as Larry Flint. Then come Robert Mitchum as Rod Anderson, Gene Kelly as Pinky Benson and Robert Cummings as Dr. Victor Stephanson. The only one Louisa doesn't marry is Stephanson. But MacLaine is the main character around whom the plot is built. As Louisa May Foster, she just wants a happy, simple married life. She soon thinks she is bewitched because her men all become wealthy, remote and die in their success. At one time her name in the film is Louisa May Foster Hopper Flint. Reflecting her rise in society after that, it is Louisa May Hop-Fli Anderson Benson. The writers were having fun at every turn in this film. MacLaine has lush wardrobes in the fantasy dream sequences she has with her men. And she struts and portrays her feminine wares in romantic love dream scenes in Paris. This movie has quite a colorful past on its own, with different performers for some of the roles. Some of the scenes are mildly funny, but the best thing about the film is the script. It's loaded with witty, corny and very funny dialog throughout. Here are some favorite lines from the movie. For more dialog see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie. Dr. Victor Stephanson, "You don't need a psychiatrist. You need your head examined." Leonard Crawley, "By the way, she couldn't be your real mother. She must've been left on your front doorstep one stormy night, in a cage."Edgar Hopper, "Oh, Louisa. I'll make you happy. I'll never work hard. I'll never make good, I swear it."Edgar Hopper, on the phone, "What is with our order on the Mother Goose Atomic Disintegrator kit?" Larry Flint, "Money corrupts. Art erupts." Louisa May Foster, "Oh, that's a beautiful saying." Larry Flint, "It's immortal. I just made it up."Woman at Flint's art show, "If only Beethoven were alive to just hear this painting." Larry Flint, "Ah, yes. Pauvre Ludwig. I think he'd be very pleased."Louisa May Foster, "Well, a tycoon's work is never finished, is it? That's what you call yourself, isn't it? A tycoon?" Rod Anderson, "Absolutely! Absolutely! Every morning I get up and look at myself in the mirror, and I say, 'Good morning, tycoon!'"Nicky Cathcart, "I do hope the two of you can come down to us for a shoot." Louisa May Foster, "Mmm. Love to. We always get a bang out of a shoot."Rod Anderson, "I'm reminding you to remind me to tell you that I love you." Louisa May Foster, "Thank you for reminding me. I'm reminding you that you said to remind me to tell me that you love me." (sic) Rod Anderson, "Thank you for reminding me." Louisa, "Thank you."TV Announcer, "Tonight, in 'Flaming Lips,' Pinky Benson proved that a comedy can run five and a half hours. Earlier today, Pinky told us his next film will run seven and a half hours." Pinky Benson, "I can't let 'em down. After all, I'm the stuff their dreams are made of. I belong to them."

HotToastyRag Shirley MacLaine has terrible luck with men. In What a Way to Go!, she tells her therapist all about it.This is a really silly movie, but in its own way it's a classic. If you go into it with the knowledge that it's very fluffy and 60s-esque, you'll probably like it. I mean, who wouldn't want to see vignettes of Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, and Gene Kelly, falling in love with Shirley MacLaine? There's tons of eye candy up on the big screen in this one, and a very important lesson: Money can't buy happiness.This really is a must-see for ladies (and I'm not just talking about the yummy men); Shirley's wigs and costumes are reason enough to see the film. She's absolutely darling to watch, and I lost track of how many times I swooned over her dresses.The movie spoofs each of the men's screen personas, which is pretty cute. Paul Newman is given steamy scenes, Dick Van Dyke is given "aw shucks" scenes, and Gene Kelly dances. I'm not spoiling anything, but just as a heads up, don't get attached to any one of the men. Think of it as a string of vignettes, rather than a linear love story in which one guy gets the girl. It's better that way, though; would you be able to choose between Bob and Gene?

mark.waltz Thirty years after being insulted by the Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont is back in her final role as one of the most obnoxious mothers in screen history. She's so obnoxious and such a fish-wife that her husband (who never speaks a word) simply slides into the couch until he disappears. They somehow managed to squire Shirley MacLaine, and this poor girl gets the instant attention of two men: wealthy Dean Martin and hard-working but poor Dick Van Dyke. MacLaine doesn't want to marry for money no matter what the former Mrs. Flagstaff insists. "Money is the Root of All Evil", she has engraved on a pillow, but as MacLaine explains, that meant "Money is All".The audience is first introduced to the overly dressed MacLaine as a widow escorting the coffin of her most recent dead husband down her mansion steps, and in flashback, we learn of her humble upbringings, her marriage to a poor man who became wealthy, a struggling artist who became successful, a wealthy businessman who retired to the farm to get away from her "curse", and finally a poor dancer who becomes a big movie musical star. "On Our Little Houseboat Built For Two" has MacLaine dancing for the only time with Gene Kelly, and even if you can't stand this movie, you can't help but adore the cleverness of this number which comes out of nowhere.The other men in her life are Paul Newman (as the artist) and Robert Mitchum (as the retired businessman). This black comedy is of course, about death, and each of the men die hysterically in ways that must be seen to be believed. Obviously, this is not a film for all tastes, and some may be offended by it. MacLaine gets to wear the most outrageous of outfits throughout with hairstyles to match, giving way to her characters in later artistic flops like "Woman Times Seven" and "The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom", but also comparable to the deliciously tacky costumes and wigs for Rosalind Russell in "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet, and I'm Feeling So Sad".This is a film which needs to be seen either on the big screen or in the DVD wide screen release. It is not meant to be seen at all in pan and scan as that looses most of the cinematic color of it and makes it a total blur. It is obvious that MacLaine and her many co-stars (which includes Robert Cummings as an amorous psychiatrist) had a ball in this. If you put aside your fear of "tacky", you too will have a great time as well.

Aristides-2 I wondered when it would happen. When I was in my twenties I would occasionally get to see silent films. With the exception of Chaplin, almost all of them were difficult to watch. Acting styles were florid and the stories were mirroring (more than the film producers could know) late 19th Century and the first quarter of the 20th Century's societal 'ideas'. I don't know of any of them (except Chaplin) that ever reached me emotionally or in a thoughtful fashion.Friends and me who had the same reaction would fancifully say, "Gee, someday our films will appear to be as dated as those same silents.With 'What A Way To Go', seen in the perspective of my 21st Century eyes, that time has come. The so-called comedy of it, not subtle in the least and broad/broad/broad is painful to watch. But it's the falseness of as much of the film as I could bear that has the deepest impact, just like those silent films. There's a 'kidding', a winking at the audience that takes what's supposed to be true sentiment and turns it inside out. (Voltaire could do this but the screenwriters of this are not operating at his talent level.) So ultimately, nothing is satirized and everything becomes pap.