Wonderful character development!

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

When comedy movies are dated, they often appear much less funny to people in later years. Such is the case with "The Loved One." It retains the satire of the film with its three to four targets. The main spoof is of the funeral business in California. A huge industry had grown up around it by the 1940s. That's the part of the comedy that is most dated and that is time worn. But the satire of British high society living in America, of Hollywood, and of America, as epitomized in and by Californians, are still funny decades later. One wonders about change over time. As technical progress continues to shrink the world, the distinctions of cultures and societies fade and disappear. The human race seems pointed toward a universal sameness. Should we reach that point, the distinctions that for generations have been the source of much interest, investigation, comedy and humor will be gone. Who would want to live in such a bland state? Anyway, this film is based on a very clever satire by British author, Evelyn Waugh. He wrote "The Loved One" after a 1947 trip California. He stayed a time in Hollywood to discuss the possible filming of his 1945 book, "Brideshead Revisited."The plot itself is the funniest thing about this film. Numerous actors of note appear, from cameos to major roles. Robert Morse is the main character around whom the story unravels, but his role has very little real comedy. Jonathan Winters has the major comedy lead, playing two roles as Wilbur and Harry Glenworthy. His businesslike portrayal of Wilbur is somewhat funny. But the best humor in the film comes from Rod Steiger as Mr. Joyboy. In this wildly different comedy character, Steiger shows why he is one of the great actors of the 20th century. This isn't loud laughter comedy, but the kind that elicits chuckles. Robert Morley provides the last bit of humor. John Gielgud has a significant role but the humor is long past worn out. He is Sir Francis Hinsley, uncle to Morse's Dennis Barlow. Various cameos range from a little funny to ho-hum. Dana Andrews, Milton Berle, James Coburn, Tab Hunter, Margaret Leighton, Roddy McDowall, Barbara Nichols, Lionel Stander, and Liberace are among the better-known names of the past. This movie was promoted as having something to offend everyone. I don't know that it quite achieved that even in 1965, but even legitimate mortuaries today shouldn't be offended. The film did have some dark aspects, and crudity in places. Those are still evident as such. Some may enjoy the film in the early 21st century. But many others may find its two hours too slow, or its entertainment rather lame. Here are some favorite lines. See the Quotes section under this IMDb movie page for more humorous dialog.Sir Francis Hinsley, "The people here are so kind and generous. They talk entirely for their own pleasure. And they never expect you to listen. Just remember that, dear boy - the secret of social success in this country." Sir Francis Hinsley, pointing out an actor to Dennis, "He usually plays prime ministers or butlers."Wilbur Glenworthy, "There's got to be a way to get those stiffs off my property."

. . . at least while watching THE LOVED ONE. Instead of FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, it's like THE LOVED ONE is "One wedding and a "Fun-for-All" funeral smörgåsbord. Strippers pop out of caskets, the hot chick embalms only herself, and ARTHUR's butler takes a one-way drop at his swimming pool. Clearly, THE LOVED ONE is a laugh riot--if you're a maggot. Caskets in 1965 are sold like today's Affordable Care Act health plans: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. For Bronze money, your eternal resting place is only waterproof. Pony up for Silver, and you stay "moisture resistant" for all time. But if you have a problem with "dampness," you had better "Go for the Gold." Rod Steiger is a real gut-buster as mortician Laf Joyboy, while Jonathan Winters' twin character outings lampoon Scientology in his role as proprietor\prophet-in-residence of Whispering Glades Cemetery while also spoofing Bhuddism as the family black sheep tabbed to run Happy Hunting Grounds Pet Cemetery. Though some scenes here play like tepid sketch comedy, others seem to foretell today's world. Fire up the grills, anyone?

It's the 60s and when a movie is set in a certain place, there's a decent chance it will be filmed there. It was a great stroke of luck for this movie's longevity that it received location photography. The B&W photography looks terrific!There's an art to black comedy. While there are certainly laughs in this; (A precarious, collapsing house. Aimee kicking the condemned sign and having it shoot out over the house. Roddy MacDowell receiving a goofy scalp massage.); the story is just too flimsy to carry on for 2 hours. Robert Morse is simply not very good and I never had any interest in the main plot line. Around the time Morse begins pursuing airhead Aimee, it becomes a long turnoff. I couldn't be bothered with whether such a dumb guy can win the bimbo. There isn't a moment of his pursuit that I care about. I also cannot get past what a homely dork he is. And if Morse can't do an English accent, just change the part. His poor attempt is a complete distraction. However funny audiences found Morse to be in the 60s, he just doesn't have an ounce of natural humor; He didn't get a single laugh out of me. That is not good when he's on screen so much. That's two strikes you can't recover from; a bad lead actor, and a dead plot line. Strike three is that every single character is a hopeless idiot.There are many times this feels like it's being oddball, strictly for the sake of being oddball. Only Liberace, as a deeply cynical casket salesman, rises to the occasion, gets the tone right and knocks it out of the park. No, Rod Steiger cannot do comedy.Rushmore takes the "two guys fighting over a girl" schtick and with good casting, a dry script and a point, delivers a comedy miracle.

Maybe in its time this film was provocative and entertaining. The decade of the 1960s was known for its cinematic audacity and spunk, descriptions befitting the film's underlying concept. But what seems daring and futuristic today can look stunningly grotesque when the future actually arrives. And forty years after it was made, "The Loved One" just seems ... bizarre.We're led to believe that the film lampoons the funeral and burial industry. And part of the film's first half does just that. Here, humor derives partly from dialogue, especially as it relates to burial terminology. Our casket salesman, Mr. Starker (Liberace), explains to the film's protagonist: "I can give you our eternal flame in either perpetual eternal or standard eternal". Then he asks: "propane or butane, Mr. Barlow?" Marvelous. And part of the humor is visual, as we watch the finicky embalmer, Mr. Joyboy (Rod Steiger), trying out various expressions on the loved one's face.But the funeral and burial industry satire consumes less than half of the film's two-hour runtime. The rest of the plot is a mishmash of assorted gags, skits, and pranks, strictly tangential to the stated concept. You get the feeling that the script was written by a committee. Some of this plot tangle derives from too many celebrity cameos. These actors (James Coburn, Milton Berle, Tab Hunter, and many others) appear in a scene or two, then vanish, to be replaced later by others, none of whom are essential to the plot.Probably the best elements of the film are its B&W cinematography and the production design. Outdoor scenes at Whispering Glades are visually lush. And the interior is interestingly ornate, although far more Gothic than any funeral home I've ever been in.The film's casting and acting for major roles get mixed grades from me. Robert Morse as the protagonist, Sir John Gielgud as his uncle, and Rod Steiger as the embalmer are all fine. But as much as I like Jonathan Winters, his performance here, for whatever reason, just does not work; I found it grating and annoying.If I had seen this film when it first came out, I might have had a more favorable impression of it. And, to repeat, it does have a certain charm, if only sporadic. But so much has happened in the last forty years, and there's been so many changes in America's culture, "The Loved One", for all its intended courage and boldness in 1965, now seems, for the most part, just puerile and pointless.