Memorable, crazy movie

A lot of fun.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

My first review ever, if memory serves - I've been on this site for many years now, so I may have forgotten...I saw A Touch of Class for the first time yesterday and it was definitely a very pleasant surprise for me, even though I suspected I was going to like it - otherwise I wouldn't have watched it at all. Anyway, it was even better than expected. It was really, really funny and the characters were very likable. How do you NOT fall in love with Glenda Jackson?! :) And he's pretty cool too, but I'm straight so I can't really speak for that side. Anyway, I think the way their affair plays out is completely natural and believable and that's the reason I don't get why one IMDb reviewer (one that I can recall - perhaps there are more) AND Roger Ebert both have a problem with the movie turning into a romance in its second half (and with the ending, which I address below). OK, so it's not as funny as it is in the first half, but so what? Does it HAVE to be a laugh-out-loud comedy all the way? I have no problem with the genre-mixing here, none whatsoever - I rarely do, actually. To me, the narrative structure is pretty much impeccable and makes sense throughout, with the ending being, of course, pretty much inevitable given the situation. Would the movie really have been better had they implausibly stayed together, despite his kids and all of the other obstacles? I don't know. Maybe! It was certainly hard to take, but it made perfect sense to me. Ebert on the ending: "it doesn't seem right" and "for two people, both still in love, to reach a sad but "rational" decision to end it: That's not only unfair, it's unlikely." Um... why? Isn't that how life is? Some good moments, some bad moments, a lot of fun (at least in my case - I'm sure there are others who are less fortunate) and then the occasional, inevitable really tough decision that most of us (or at least many of us) ultimately make with our brains instead of our hearts? Especially if we also happen to love our wife and kids - which is actually shown in the movie, if you pay attention, at least as far as the kids are concerned... And you can't even say it was rushed - they both got there gradually, as is shown in the movie's second half. I don't really get the logical basis for this opinion. Not yet, at least. So, then, I ask: what's not to like about this movie?!...Like the title says - to me, this is the best movie of 1973, save for (but very, very close to) The Exorcist. Have no idea why this isn't considered a classic...

George Segal and Glenda Jackson make "A Touch of Class" enjoyable to watch. While they are no Tracy and Hepburn, they still have a mild amount of chemistry, that's at least interesting enough to enable you to last thru the end of the picture.This is a rather ordinary film that was made during a year in which on two great films were made ( The Sting and The Exorcist). There weren't really that many good film performances either (If I remember correctly Marsha Mason and Ellen Burstyn were the other strong candidates for the Oscar that year, for "Cinderella Liberty" and "The Exorcist", respectively). Seen today, it is badly dated, and not very funny.5 out of 10

Not as good as I remember it - but then, what is? - A Touch of Class has dated pretty well, though there is no way this film would be made today; the moral ambiguity and the downbeat ending would give the money men a fit of the vapours.What does date the film more than anything is the music, which is for the most part archetypal, early seventies, easy-listening pap which slushes up loudly during 'romantic' moments. Having said that though, there are two really nice music cues towards the end of the film: in the scene where Segal's character leaves a Beethoven concert to meet with his lover intent on ending their relationship, the music he had been listening to in the concert hall continues under him leaving, and then their meeting. It's nicely done. The other moment is in the the final shot of the movie. As Segals's character clears out his stuff from the flat a song plays on the soundtrack. The last thing he does as he leaves is lift the arm off the record playing in the gramophone. The song stops. The movie ends. It's neat.Another dating moments occur when Jackson's character attempts to pay for the taxi and, later, buys a packet of oregano. In the taxi she offers 60p as her fare. By today's standards this is a laughably small amount for a taxi fare and the line stopped my credibility dead in its tracks till I remembered the film was 30 years old. So, future script writers of the world, if you intend your script to stand the test of time, inflation proof it. Don't put specific amounts in the mouths of your characters. Have them hand over cash and say "That's the right amount," or not say anything. Just show them the money, let the viewer fill in the amount in their head.

At times screamingly funny, at least during the first hour, "A Touch of Class" boasts two fine comedic actors in top form and a script that manages to hit more highs than lows. After a catchy title tune, George Segal and Glenda Jackson meet a few times by chance before on-the-prowl Segal, who boasts of never cheating on his wife in the same city, moves in for the pounce. However, the divorced Jackson, who needs some good uninvolved sex, agrees to a tryst if they can manage something better than a "quickie" in a one-star hotel with dirty sheets. From this point the screwball comedy antics pile on. A returning wife and in-laws complicate the arrangements for a week in Spain, and an unwelcome friend shows up for the same flight to Malaga. The laugh meter rises with a faulty clutch, a spastic back, and a sexual performance rating that is on par with a Christmas card from the butcher.The comedy is in high form as the couple spar and parry towards consummating their relationship. Unfortunately, love enters the equation, and the unwelcome friend slows the merriment further with a serious turn about guilt. Although the pace picks up again when the couple returns to London, the damage has been done, and "A Touch of Class" fails to return to the hilarity of the first hour. Segal and Jackson are certainly not to blame for the sluggish mid section, and both performers deliver fine comedic performances that never go over the top for a laugh and retain a depth of character when the mood turns serious. The film belongs to the two stars, and they play well together. However, the supporting players in general fail to register with the exception of Eve Karpf as the slyly knowing Miss Ramos at Iberia Airlines.Symptomatic of the movie's slowdown is a scene where Jackson and Segal watch "Brief Encounter" on the television in their love nest. The Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard classic is a heavy "weepie" drama, and both characters wring the handkerchiefs while they watch the film. Although the temptation to insert shots from another film about marital infidelity was obviously too strong to resist, the scene further dampens the film and pushes the characters into a soul-searching phase that leads to the inevitable fadeout. Perhaps if the lovers had watched "A Night at the Opera" or "Bringing Up Baby," viewers would have left the theater laughing instead of sullen like the weather in the final scene.