The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed in watching The Loved One after all the acclaim it has gotten. There are several wonderful cameos by a lot of the name stars that Tony Richardson got for the film. But in looking back it seems it just wasn't the sum of all its parts.The Loved One is not a satire on the funeral business per se, it is a satire on it when it's done Hollywood style. In Tinseltown everything is done gaudier even burying one. Robert Morse is an English poet who arrives in Hollywood to meet with Uncle John Gielgud who promptly offs himself.As the closest relative by blood and geography Morse gets to make the funeral arrangements. The film is his experiences doing so. And since poetry doesn't exactly pay the rent Morse decides to go into the burying business.Lots of familiar faces are crammed into The Loved One. Liberace as the funeral home director and Rod Steiger as the cosmetician to the dead stars are shown to best advantage. The Loved One runs a bit too long and much of the satire just doesn't gel.If you like to stargaze however, you can't go wrong with The Loved One.

I really wanted to like this film. The creative team behind it is astonishing and its cast is remarkable.However the film is obviously written by two people who know how to write novels, not films.The story just meanders and wanders and rambles and it takes quite some time to figure out exactly what is going on and what action we're supposed to be following.It's worth watching as a cultural snapshot, it's got that zany 60s laugh- in type humor happening in spades (the scene with the girls in the coffins comes to mind) but as a film itself it is a mess.

I can only echo the excellent comments of others who've heaped praise on this unique movie-- it's on my 20-best-ever too, for sure.I do have a kind of eccentric technical point to make that might be of interest, so here goes.One of the reviewers warned of "dubbing and sound issues," but I wonder if a deliberate cinematic trick isn't escaping his notice.Whenever Harry, the pet cemetery owner, is talking to his (evil twin) brother the Blessed reverend, he calls him "Will" (name in the credits is Wilbur)-- but that isn't what his lips are saying! If you watch carefully, there are at least a couple of cases where it looks pretty obvious he is saying "Satan!" Assuming this is true, it's a wonderful subliminal trick possible only in movies-- definitely adds to the hilarious-but-creepy impression of "the Blessed Reverend's" black-helicopter appearances from on high.Anybody else see this? If not, I might just be nuts-- in my comment on the movie "the Third Secret" I noticed another example of just such a use of dubbing to convey a subliminal message. Only in that movie, the "subconscious" word (said by the lips but heard as another word) has to do with a key element in the plot-- namely how many patients the murdered psychiatrist had at the time of his death.In this case the trick is incidental, kind of a throwaway-- one of the many extra touches that are strewn so generously throughout. Or of course it could just be dubbing and soundtrack glitches!

The Loved One -Surrealistic sixties satire-beautifully shot and uneven.Based on Evelyn Waugh's novel and from a screenplay from Terry Southern-this one starts swinging from the first scene.A huge and talented cast roast 60's Hollywood and the death industry.A young British chap comes to America to visit his uncle- Sir John Gielgud playing a knighted studio artist.Rod Stieger steels the movie as eccentric embalmer Mr. Joyboy and Anjanette Comer is the lovely apple of the eye of the poet protaginist.This movie has some amazing cinematography and moments of pure mayhem mixed with a cynical eye at the macabre moneymaking biz of fatality.Some of this movie is very dated and other scenes feel a little forced- but this is well worth visiting for the unique and stunning scenery and the cavalcade of stars.The DVD has a 20 minute making of featurette. B