The Worst Film Ever

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

After listening to a witty radio interview featuring Harold Krentz—a blind man mistakenly classified as "1-A" by his local draft board—screenwriter Leonard Gershe (the 1958 Oscar winner for 'Funny Face') was inspired to write 'Butterflies Are Free', a play about a young blind man who moves from Scarsdale to Greenwich Village to get away from his overprotective mother and establish his independence. Opening at the Booth Theatre on W. 45th Street on Oct. 21, 1969, 'Butterflies' starred Keir Dullea ('2001, A Space Odyssey') as Don Baker, the blind protagonist; Eileen Heckart as Baker's mother; Blythe Danner as Jill Tanner, Baker's next-door neighbor and love interest; and Paul Michael Glaser as Ralph Austin, a friend of Jill's. A surprise hit, the play ran for nearly three years (1,128 performances) and earned Danner a 1970 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. In March 1970 producer Mike Frankovich ('Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice') paid Gershe $300,000 and a percentage of the film's future earnings for the screen rights to his play. Frankovich also hired Gershe to adapt his play to the screen and the play's director, Milton Katselas, to direct the film. Of the original cast, Eileen Heckart and Paul Michael Glaser were tapped to reprise their Broadway roles but television's favorite blonde hippie chick, Goldie Hawn ("Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"), replaced the then relatively unknown Blythe Danner and 20-year-old Eddie Albert, Jr. supplanted 35-year-old Keir Dullea in an obvious bid to lend the film greater youth appeal. Likewise, the setting was switched from New York City to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, to marinade the story in hippie counterculture ambiance. Viewed now, decades after its initial release, 'Butterflies Are Free' can be regarded as a time capsule of a short-lived Aquarian Age, or more cynically, as a transparently slick exercise in sentimentality dressed up in hippie garb. Eileen Heckart's turn as Mrs. Baker earned her the 1973 Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. A final irony: although the title sounds like the quintessence of hippie philosophy, it was actually derived from Charles Dickens' 1853 novel, 'Bleak House'! VHS (1996) and DVD (2002).

So I got home last night and there was a Goldie Hawn marathon on TCM. I thought I knew all her films but I guess B.A.F. slipped through the crack somehow.You can definitely tell this was a play because it looks like a play. Although there are a couple exterior and location shots most of it takes place in the same setting. But it works well as a film and it has held up well over the years even if many of the scenes are obviously visually dated.Hawn and Heckart are great – and it's a well deserved Oscar for Heckart. However I was really blown away by Albert's performance. Although he only won a Golden Globe this is also an Oscar worthy performance and in my opinion they most hypnotizing out of the 3.SPOILER**** I'm noting this as a 'SPOILER' but will try to be somewhat vague here to not actually spoil it for those who have not seen the film. There is a pivotal moment in the film where Albert's character realizes what's about to happen, and he has this moment of emotion. I was so incredibly choked up by his performance because we all have gone through a similar event in our lives. That one scene made the whole movie for me. He did an incredible job.This is definitely a must see movie – especially if you are an actor in search of learning a real craft!!

The first half is really tedious, full of fluffy dialog. Once the blind guy's mother walks in things liven up, and from then on things are more interesting, though at the price of being decidedly soap-operatic. Much of the dialog of conflict reminds of soap-operas; it's the same old lines and attitudes that we've heard and seen a million times before. The guy playing the bondman is okay but somewhat bland, and not really a match for a young, spunky Goldie Hawn. She is cute and charming, and does her best, but there is a limit to what she can do with her stereotypical character; she plays one of those free-spirited, cheerful, young hippie girls with a good heart - a moronic cliché in the movies of that era. There is also little that Hawn can do with the mediocre script; instead of creating a script that exploits the comedic possibilities by creating humorous exchanges between characters, the writer has opted for a safe and easier way: schmaltzy melodrama, with the dialog occasionally being somewhat witty, but never funny. The ultra-dated and annoying hippie-era clichés that creep in on a regular basis don't help, either; it's clear that this was written by some left-wing Hollywood bozo.

I first saw the play, then the movie, then a play put on at a local University. Now I watch the movie anytime I notice it on and have the time.This movie will be hard to comprehend unless you can devote full attention to it as it moves fast and just gets better as it goes along - in other words if you don't have a copy of it make sure you've got your popcorn and a quiet house. It's mostly happy, with a few sad points but has a happy ending. This one gets all the stars and we did have one Oscar winning performer in it, I'll let you guess who.A movie not to be missed, and if you can see it in a local play don't hesitate as it performs well even on the small stage.