If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)A complete throwaway, and delightful, entertainment, with a charming Suzanne Pleshette as the sporadic leading lady in a romantic comedy set all over Europe. As the tour bus glides its way through the usual hot spots, in a typical (to this day) whirlwind race through major capitals from London to Rome, we see a playful satire of down home American types out of their element. It has funny moments, and some good comic actors, but it's almost thrown together and the story, whatever its short laughs, is pretty thin stuff.But then, a lot of comedies have no desire to be great films, and don't even worry about plot so much as finding some way under heaven to get as many funny situations in an hour and a half as possible. Pleshette I think is meant to play a kind of simpler American Audrey Hepburn, and she really does have a spark and sincerity on screen that works. She falls in love with the tour guide, a sharply dressed British fellow who seems more 1963 than 1969 (picture John Lennon by 1969) played by Ian McShane, an appealing but easily caricatured type. The rest of the cast is only present for gags and one liners, including a few very cameo cameos that get a lot of attention but are hardly worth watching the film for.The one exception, though, is a complete run through of Donovan singing "Lord of the Reedy River" in his faint precious tenor, alone on his guitar, surrounded by a room full of strung out kids dressed in perfect hippie clothes, a poster of Che on the wall. The movie makers knew this was a small coup, Donovan being at the time still a famous remnant of the early folk and folk rock movement (and a famous part of the Bob Dylan tour of England in 1965). A crude youtube version (with subtitles) is here: http://youtu.be/7M4D2B18cz8. Another reviewer notes that this is a truly "retro" film and what they really mean is that this isn't retro at all but it's the real deal, 1969 in 1969, and is a kind of capsule of some characteristic aspects of the time. It's a frivolous version of those scenes, from the exaggerated Italian extended family in Venice to the dancing to Swiss traditional music, but it does show a common liberation of the time, including a painfully sexist amateur photographer who photographs girls in miniskirts in each and every country as a kind of countdown. Of course, the director makes the movie equally sexist in the process, gawking at each of the models (victims?) as it goes. Harmless fun for some, cheesy demeaning distraction for others, and typical of many 1960s movies either way.Overall it's fun and funny and a joyful film, rather upbeat in more ways than just the humor. It's not New Hollywood, there is no socially cutting edge here, and no filming innovations (aside from some playful fast edits). But it tours the viewer through some wonderful, if well known, parts of Western Europe and has some laughs. And it has a beautifully unexpected ending, very poignant after all. Thank you Suzanne Pleshette.

Okay, we all know that when we go on vacation, some unexpected things are bound to happen (when I went to Russia, I didn't expect them to put the wrong dates on my visa, but they did). Well, nothing could be more whacked out than what the people in "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium" experience on their European vacation! I sort of figured that the movie would have some of what it had - like the girl always sneaking off to be with friends - but the scene where Fred Ferguson (Murray Hamilton) has trouble communicating with the Italian cobbler was a surprise, as was the embarrassment suffered by Harve Blakely (Norman Fell).One of the most interesting scenes has Donovan playing either himself or someone like himself, serenading the teenagers while their parents eat fondue. I also really liked the scene where Jack Harmon (Michael Constantine) is recounting his war story to his wife...well, I'll let you find out what happens. Also in the cast are Suzanne Pleshette, Ian McShane, Mildred Natwick, and some others. You'll love it.I have to admit, this is the only movie in which I've seen Michael Constantine, aside from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". Although I did see him on an episode of "The Flying Nun".

Comedy about a group of Americans on a 18 day (I think) tour of Europe.Unlike some previous posters, I've never been to Europe, so watching this film was not like reliving old memories. On its own, this was a very pleasant movie. The script is not bad and the jokes are pretty funny. There are some real groaners too, but the good ones far outweigh them. And the cast is full of talented character actors giving their all.The movie basically concentrates on a romance between the tour guide Charlie Cartwright (Ian McShane) and tourist Samantha Perkins (Suzanne Pleshette). Usually romance subplots in comedies are the kiss of death, but this one works. McShane is very handsome and Pleshette incredibly beautiful; the dialogue is well-written; they both give good performances and they have great chemistry with each other. It also is a good excuse to show all the romantic places in Europe (this was shot on location). And the romance has a surprising, realistic ending.Another point of interest is an 18 year old girl Shelly (Hilary Thompson) meeting a guy her age Bo (Luke Halpin). Their fashions are VERY 60s and the dialoge is SO old-fashioned...but it's all interesting. Also a visit to Canaby Street in London (which was the place to be in the late 60s) is visually fascinating. Also Murray Hamilton's one liners throughout the movie are frequently hilarious.They visit London, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Venice and end in Rome. I saw a widescreen print on TV in strong color and the movie just looked beautiful. Sometime it was like seeing a travelogue but an INTERESTING travelogue.It's not a great movie but a pleasant one. You could do worse! Recommended.

British wag leads group of polyester Americans on a crash coach tour of Europe. Yet another of the drive-in classics of my youth. And as I've taken a few of these tours, the movie will always have a place in me heart. But for a ton of reasons, I daresay this flicker won't really appeal to many people these days. Its beyond dated and completely idiotic in many respects, the voice-over jokes/complaints of the passengers that play while the bus is shown plodding through Europe, are so lame you cringe, but... there's a certain charm in the quaintness of what American life was once like. The young girl who gets dragged on the trip by her parents so they can keep her away from her boyfriend, is supposed to represent rebellious youth, yet she's an 18 year old virgin. The film contains so many 'side trips' that a few were bound to be amusing, and they are. The adventure of the guy visiting his relatives in Venice is pretty damn funny. Bottom line is if you don't know about this film already, there's a reason and you're probably best served by keeping it that way. But if you never got to see Europe before its culture got power stripped by a combination of American wannabeism and irresponsible immigration policies, well then you might enjoy it.