Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The Long Hot Summer (1958) is a Classic Drama starring Paul Newman as Ben Quick. Ben Quick is accused of being a barn burner and a con man. He hitches a ride with two fancy ladies into a small town in Mississipi and finds out that the two fancy ladies are the daughters of the richest man in town, Mr. Varner. The film is quite long, but it is interesting. Paul Newman is excellent in this film, as usual, and his character is likable. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys Old Dramas as this film contains all of the elements that are common in dramas from the 50s. It was a bit longer than I personally feel that it should have been, but there were some funny moments and sweet romantic moments that made this feature worthwhile.

I have mixed feelings about this film. It's not the movie's fault that the author (William Faulkner and others) seem to like to provide shades of Lillian Hellman.But, the biggest issue I have here with the acting is Orson Welles. In some scenes, his characterization seems right on target. In other scenes he seems to he hamming it up to the point of creating a cliché of the character. His makeup doesn't help any. That's not to say I didn't enjoy him here. I'm fat, and always feel better when I see someone who is about twice as fat as me. ;-) I never really saw the attraction with Paul Newman. Not a bad actor, nor a great actor. It depended a lot on the quality of the film he was in. I felt pretty much the same about Joanne Woodward. They're both "good" here.Anthony Franciosa is another actor I never cared much for, but with him I'm not neutral. To me he's on the negative side of things, and this film didn't change my mind. Although I will say that the role of a spoiled young man fit him well.On the other hand,I've always felt Lee Remick was a fine actress, and I wish her part here had been more involved.So the plot goes like this: tyrannical Southern father (Welles) tries to control everything and everyone. A drifter type (Newman) comes to town and weaves his way into the family with lust and a thirst for power. He pushes aside a son (Franciosa) through his scheming.The problem with the concept of this film -- at least for me -- is that the presence of a "senior scoundrel" (Welles) doesn't make me root anymore for the "junior scoundrel" (Newman). About all it shows me is that there's almost no major character here who is very likable and to root for. All the men here are ne'er-do-well. It's not a very pretty picture, so to speak.This film is not so much a long, hot summer as a long, plodding tepid slog. And at the end of the slog, somehow all these low class people live happily ever after. Appalling.

A Pride and Prejudice love story sited in Mississippi in the 1940s, can only cover half of this film's hub, directed by the famous "Orson tamer" Martin Ritt (MURPHY'S ROMANCE, 7/10), the other half is about a rough-diamond father's eagerness to marry off his maiden daughter and give an impetus to his incompetent son. The story impresses with a contingent proposition of provincial male chauvinism and women's self-liberated modern viewing, but a gratifying finale dents its eloquence and leaves a sour taste of bathos. First of all, it is the first-collaboration of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward couple, crowned a BEST ACTOR trophy for Newman in Cannes and the follow-up to Woodward Oscar-winning role in THE THREE FACES OF EVE (1957, 7/10), thus, a chief delightfulness hinges on their chemistry in their battle of wits as a charming but reckless suitor Ben Quick (Newman), an infamous barn- burner, and the demure but strong-mined rich lass Clara Varner (Woodard), and as we expected, the sparkle is tantalizingly ignited through their first scene together, Clara is driving with her sister-in-law Eula (the young and chirpy Lee Remick), who is talking to the hitchhiker Ben in quick fire ebullience, yet, Ben's focus is solely on Clara, whose dismissive attitude intrigues him and for men in a motion picture, this is the one worth conquering. Soon here comes the local big enchilada, Will Varner (Clara's father, a port Orson Welles) is back from hospital, resolves to find a suitor for Clara, he shapes a proxy father-and-son relationship with Ben, which instigate the rancor from his own son Jody (Franciosa), Will is a leading role for certain (strangely Welles is fourth billed), at the age of 43, Welles has to act out an old man of 61, with a little help from a senior makeup, a fake nose and his authentic stoutness, anyhow, it is a convincing job, although one should be prepared not to be shocked during his first entrance. Adapted from William Faulkner's novel, The Hamlet amalgamating with his stories Barn Burning and The Spotted Horses, the film at its best when spinning out a poor-boy-rich-girl romance with perky momentum, and at its worst, when the patriarchal arrogance pervading with its stale stench of prejudices diminish women's worth without any hint of redemption. It might be a rural leaning reflecting the reality then, but take the example of the excruciatingly designed role of Minnie Littlejojn (Lansbury), it is an agony of miscast and a smug snide on the gender-biased gold-diggers, not a sign for its future audience. Moreover, a more mystifying evasion is the ambiguity belies the true color of the mommy boy Alan Stewart (Anderson), for whom a wishful-thinking Clara falls for 6 years. Lastly, the set piece where Ben dupes Jody into digging ancient coins is a far-fetched plot device never rings plausible under any circumstances.

An excellent movie. Considered very racy at the time of its release, today it is the excellent performances that stand out. Welles, Newman and Woodward are superb. There's one scene where Welles breaks a table (not in the script), and it's fantastic. All the other actors are very good. Plus Lee Remick is a wet dream come true for heterosexual young men. And how can you go wrong with William Faulkner providing the source material?Well written; stylish; and clever, simmering dialog. This film deserves its classic status.