Louisa May Foster is a modest and unassuming woman. She knows just what she wants : a little house and a happy marriage with a man who shares her liking for the simple, uncluttered life. Sadly, this inoffensive life ambition is difficult to fullfil... Poor Louisa is to encounter a succession of ever more ambitious and driven men. Enjoyable black comedy with a fine performance by lead actress Shirley MacLaine. The movie is also notable for its stellar cast and its many references (under the form of pastiches and parodies) to other films and film genres. Poor/rich Louisa tells her life story to a psychiatrist and many of her explanations turn into pastiches : there's a "silent comedy" sequence, a "Gene Kelly musical" sequence, and so on. My personal favorite is the "Lush Budgett" sequence, where Shirley MacLaine, evolving in the world of the super-super-rich, wears ever more expensive and outlandish costumes. There's many a clever dig at movie costumes and movie costume-making here. The main target of the movie is, of course, the dark side of the American Dream : work, work harder, pour all your energy into your work, become a captain of industry and die young of a heart attack, estranged from family and friends. As a result the movie is required viewing for all workaholics, both potential and actual.

Shirley MacLaine has terrible luck with men. In What a Way to Go!, she tells her therapist all about it.This is a really silly movie, but in its own way it's a classic. If you go into it with the knowledge that it's very fluffy and 60s-esque, you'll probably like it. I mean, who wouldn't want to see vignettes of Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, and Gene Kelly, falling in love with Shirley MacLaine? There's tons of eye candy up on the big screen in this one, and a very important lesson: Money can't buy happiness.This really is a must-see for ladies (and I'm not just talking about the yummy men); Shirley's wigs and costumes are reason enough to see the film. She's absolutely darling to watch, and I lost track of how many times I swooned over her dresses.The movie spoofs each of the men's screen personas, which is pretty cute. Paul Newman is given steamy scenes, Dick Van Dyke is given "aw shucks" scenes, and Gene Kelly dances. I'm not spoiling anything, but just as a heads up, don't get attached to any one of the men. Think of it as a string of vignettes, rather than a linear love story in which one guy gets the girl. It's better that way, though; would you be able to choose between Bob and Gene?

This movie makes fun of wealth, poverty, all sorts of theatrical genres and humanity itself. Giving away my age, I saw it at the theater when it came out and being a fan of just about everyone in it, was NOT disappointed. I would love to see it again and share it with my grand-kids who have discovered they love the old films. I really think the industry would be shocked at how well the sales of this one (and several others) would go. The movie itself takes nothing seriously and is absolutely hilarious. One comes to believe that being married to this woman is tantamount to taking cyanide, only much, much funnier. There's not much to be said about it that isn't already in print, but to experience it is to experience all these stars at their funniest and seemingly, most ingenious!

So I saw that it was nominated for best costumes by the legendary Edith Head and I was thinking, after watching this frothy, fun, star studded piece of fun, how could this have not won....oh 37th annual Academy Awards....and the Winner is My Fair Lady...but these costumes through her many lives are so much fun. Stones by Harry Winston, Costumes by Edith Head, and Shirley McLaine showing what makes her now a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors....just pure entertainment....big name big cast...before the years of the blockbusters.....I bet this was great on the big screen case in the house it was delightful. Each of the husbands that she has, expand the story, and actually take the viewer on a film history lesson. First it is the silent era, then the French Art film that was all the rage to the in crowd, then the costume/lady man film, then the over the top movie musical where production numbers rise from nothing. Ms. McLaine must have been beyond thrilled to be able to work with this top of the line cast of leading men.