Writer-director Blake Edwards vents his frustrations on Hollywood (via Hollywood!) in telling slim story of a filmmaker on the edge after critics have trashed his latest family musical. His solution is to reshoot much of the picture as a blue movie...and have the G-rated star expose her breasts. Great cast struggles through what might have been a sharp satire of Tinsel Town; instead, the film is pseudo-cynical, putting down the movie business (and audiences) while catering to the lowest common denominator (are the changes made to the movie actually meant to appeal to the mass market? Ironically, the most effervescent part of the film is the opening musical number, which is then lambasted for us!). The characters are mostly ciphers, talking all at once, and Harry Stradling, Jr.'s soupy cinematography makes the whole thing look like bad cable. * from ****

I first saw S.O.B. in its original theatrical release in 1981, when I was 15 (yes, we snuck in). Not having cultivated a taste for dark comedy yet, I thought the film was in extremely bad taste, including the "defloration" of Julie Andrews.Well, 24 years later (was it REALLY that long ago?), I picked up a used and badly battered copy of the videotape at a junk sale and watched it again. How could I have completely missed such subtlety? It's "Sunset Boulevard" on laughing gas, complete with William Holden in his last screen appearance.The setting is then-contemporary Hollywood and its environs, which in and of itself adds a few unintended laughs. After a big-budget family film flops, and its director's suicide attempt and nervous breakdown are treated with barbiturates, the director seizes upon the brilliant idea to re-cut the film to suit the adult tastes of the average viewing audience.As in "Boulevard", "The Player" and myriad other movies about the inner workings of the film industry, a tapestry of cross-allegiances begins its delicate ballet, first to blackball the errant director, then to woo his wholesome actress-singer wife into a nude scene, and finally, when the re-cut film is a smash, to steal the film from the director via his estranged and newly emboldened wife.The jokes still work, and since Hollywood's only changes since shooting wrapped seem to be cosmetic, the wry commentary on the selfishness and fickleness of the film industry and its larger players still holds true.

the best comedy of the eighties.Brilliant,funny,grotesque,noir,dramatic,all these stiles mixed greatly thanks to an almost perfect script(nothing to do with the comedy of the last 20 years,based on a simple "situation" which exhaust itself after 20 minute)and a great and ironic Julie Andrews on a parody of herself and of her career-which has been less shiny of what it deserved to be-,not to forgive all the other actors,william holden overall in his last stage,but also the great "double Oscar winner" shelley winters and "J.R." Larry Hagman.An irresistible film full of ideas and definitely rich of style and elegance, with something which is almost impossible to find in nowadays movies:an atmosphere

Its the story of a director (Richard Mulligan) that has a major career disaster with a universally panned film called "Night Wind". The director is suicidal while all of those around him are amusingly wrapped in their own ego-centric worlds.The movie is hysterically funny and rather touching, a recurring vignette in the film is a cut-away to a man that has died jogging on the beach and his little dog. The man lies dead in the sand while people walk on by. This helps give a sense of isolation; the characters are disconnected from each other, even though they work and live together.It has great performances by the cast. One stand-out is Robert Preston as very amusing "Dr. Feel-Good"; he steals every scene.Every time I see S.O.B. there are more little bits and nuances that I never noticed before. If you are a Richard Mulligan or Robert Preston fan this is a must see.For fans of Blake Edwards this is, in my opinion, one of his best comedic films.