What: In 1971's A New Leaf*, Walter Matthau is Henry Graham, a supremely selfish man who's run through his family's entire fortune and finds himself completely broke. Of course, the obvious solution is to marry an heiress and then get rid of her. Unfortunately for Henry, the heiress he finds is Henrietta Lowell, a dedicated botanist whose complete lack of life skills eclipses even Henry's own. Henrietta is played by the genius Elaine May, who also wrote and directed.
Representative quote: "Excuse me, you're not by any chance related to the Boston Hitlers?"
Bonus representative quote: "The only difference between us is I am a man and you are a woman, and we don't have to let that interfere if we are reasonably careful."
Bonus bonus representative quote: "Who do I know who's pregnant and a good sport?"
You might not like it if: You don't like your comedies quite so dark.
How to get it: I wish you luck! It's not on DVD. (This is one reason I can't get rid of my VCR just yet.) If you do manage to will it into existence, please send me a copy. Thanks.
*If you google "A New Leaf," one of your top results will probably be a Chicago florist. I have friends getting married there this summer. Dear Friends: You want one of your most charming guests (ahem) to come dressed as Henrietta Lowell, right?
Hey! This is available for streaming on Amazon, too!
ReplyDeletegot it...but not with that cover. darn.
ReplyDeleteCarbon on the valves. HAHAHA