While vacationing in Greece, a 40-year old woman (Liv Ullman) has a one-night fling with a 22-year old (Edward Albert). She returns home to New York and meets him again when - surprise! - he comes to date her teenage daughter.I loved this movie when I first saw it in 1973; I was young and thought it was blissfully romantic. Watching the movie now with a more mature eye, I find it silly and off-putting. Ullman is stiff and bland and doesn't inspire lust in the slightest. Albert is sincere but sometimes creepy and pushy and there's no chemistry between them. His undying love for her seems juvenile and gee, what are the odds that he'd turn up a world away as her daughter's date? In an annoying subplot, Gene Kelly gives a hammy and embarrassing performance as Ullman's former husband. And I found it disturbing that the 17-year old daughter is paired romantically with a 43-year old man and the family is thrilled for her. *shudder* The movie, based on a Broadway play, looks and sounds very stagy with artificial, phony dialogue and there is a laughable go-go dancing scene that definitely dates the film. Not recommended.

"40 Carats" - a light and cheerful comedy is the only comedy I've seen Liv Ullmann in. She plays Ann Stanley, forty years old Manhattan Real Estate agent divorcée who lives with her mother and 16 years old daughter. On her vacation in Greece, she meets 22 years old Peter Latham (Edward Albert), and they spend the night together. Ann quietly disappears into the early morning hours, leaving him with the memories of the night and nothing else - no address or telephone number. Peter later returns to New York, where one evening he arrives to pick up a date for the evening. Guess, who his date's mother is? What follows is, IMO, funny and charming romantic comedy with wonderful supporting performances from Gene Kelly (as Ann's first annoying husband), Binnie Barnes and Deborah Raffin. I've read some comments that Liv was miscast and was not comfortable playing such a light comedy after all the profound and tragic characters she had played for Bergman. I don't think so. For me, one of the most memorable scenes of the film is the one after Liv (Ann) returns home from her vacation and is asked what Greece was like? Ann turns to face a camera, smiles, and says, "Greece glows under the sun" - but it is her face, her smile, her eyes that glow. If ever the saying, the eyes are the soul's mirror, is true, it is about Liv's eyes. There are kindness, tenderness, strength, and something even more attractive than beauty itself in them - the goodness of her soul."40 Carats" was a very pleasant surprise for me. I hope that it will be released on DVD soon and become available for all admirers of Liv Ullmann and of funny and clever romantic comedies.

As a 40-ish divorcée courting a 22-year-old man, Liv Ullmann (beautiful Norwegian actress in only her second American film) looks like a deer caught in the headlights. She's much too shaky and insecure to warm up to, and her scenes with Edward Albert have no romantic lift (this isn't all Liv's fault, Albert pushes his moments with her in a creepy way, coming off like an overripe gigolo). The good supporting cast includes Binnie Barnes and Deborah Raffin; Gene Kelly is lively playing Liv's ex-husband, although he is forced to go-go dance (such were the times). A wan, somewhat exhausted piece of fluff from the play by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy. *1/2 from ****

"40 Carats" is a surprisingly good movie. While Ullmann and Albert have little chemistry together, they nevertheless make a sweet pair, because they are both enormously appealing individually. Gene Kelly adds a few nice moments and leads a likable supporting cast. The film is slightly overlong but more mature than you might think.