Good things: There are a lot of big names in the movie! Bad things: the whole story is a bad joke! Good: Paula Prentiss is cool, although she repeats herself infinitely. Bad: Peter Sellers, the greatest comic of all time, is not at all comic in this movie, he is even ridiculous and stupid. Good: a very young Woody Allen(also author of the script) is much more comic than Peter Sellers! Bad: Capucine, though she has some charm, is also ridiculous and frustrating and repeats herself, infinitely. Good: Romy Schneider and Ursula Andress are very natural and credible, unfortunately judging objectively and coldly, their roles are also ridiculous and embarrassing! Peter O'Toole is the only one who does his best to be a loving presence and succeeds almost completely, though his role is ridiculous and awkward too! The way that this childish farce is filmed is very effective and ingenious, work of Jean Badal. Sabine Sun, blonde and mute, makes a cool role as a nurse. Like a joke in the joke, Richard Burton has a few seconds, friendly, pleasant appearance. Burt Bacharach's music is not great, and the song with the same title by Tom Jones does not save the movie. To be watched only for the personal charm of those so many great actors.

I guess this was the weekend on TCM for '60s international films. In the '60s, most of what was done was big - big historical dramas, big western dramas, big international comedies, and done on a smaller scale, the sex comedies like Sex and the Single Girl.What's New Pussycat was an international sex comedy with the usual huge, well known cast: Peter Sellers, Romy Schneider, Peter O'Toole, Ursula Andress, Paula Prentiss, Capucine, with a cameo by Richard Burton. This was Woody Allen's first produced film script and his first film role. It wasn't a happy experience.Peter O'Toole plays Michael James, the British editor of a Paris magazine He is in love with Carole (Schneider). She wants to get married, but he can't commit to her. Women are constantly after him, and he is constantly giving in.He sees one Dr. Fritz Fassbender (Sellers) who wants Michael's life, particularly one of his patient, Renee (Capucine). Carole, meanwhile, is friendly with Michael's friend Victor (Allen) who is crazy about her and also wants Michael's life. The whole thing converges at the Château Chantel one weekend. This film is purportedly based on the love life of Warren Beatty and the title taken from the way he answered the phone. He obviously did not wind up making the film. Peter Sellers adlibbed through a great deal of the movie and took all of Woody Allen's funny lines, diminishing Allen's part. The two of them loathed one another.What's New Pussycat started out hilariously, with funny dialogue and situations. As it went on, it became more and more of an annoying mess and went out of control, culminating in a Keystone Kops type scene that was very funny. However, what preceded it was disorganized insanity.There definitely are funny scenes and good performances. Paula Prentiss is especially good, as is Allen. Sellers is great until he seems to veer off of the script. I'm not sure if Peter O'Toole did his own stunts, but some of what he did was fantastic - the role called for him to be very physical. He was quite funny. Romy Schneider as usual was the straight man to this chicanery.Watch in the bar scene where Peter O'Toole and a man talk and O'Toole says, give my best to what's-her-name - it's Richard Burton, and the what's-her-name is guess who. Very cute. I like slapstick, I like madcap, but I like it structured, so I'm not the best judge of this. I prefer the MGM Marx Brothers to the Paramount ones, for instance. This was hard to take after a while.

After watching 1965's "What's New, Pussycat?" ("WNP?", for short), which has often been so smugly touted as being the absolute epitome of the "Swinging 60s", I am now thoroughly convinced that that particular era in pop culture history was, in reality, a total farce.To say that "WNP?" actually turned out to be even worse than I had at first imagined would truly be an understatement. In fact, "WNP?" was purr-fectly awful for the most part.Not only was Peter Sellers (wearing a hideously stupid-looking wig) completely asinine as the lecherous psychiatrist, Fritz Fassbender - But, Woody Allen's screenplay (his first) was filled to overflowing with a humongous dung-heap of misfired gags and one-liners that were, literally, so funny that I forgot to laugh.To be honest - "WNP?'s" opening sequence actually did show some really promising potential. But once the story stepped beyond this point it got itself so annoyingly bogged down with one of the most demented "on-again/off-again" relationships between a man and a woman ever conceived in movie history.With its almost-unbearable 2-hour running time, "WNP?" not only repeatedly cried out for some serious editing, but it also begged for some major story reconstruction, as well.

What's New Pussycat is directed by Clive Donner and Richard Talmadge, has a screenplay by Woody Allen and stars Peter O'Toole, Peter Sellers, Romy Schneider and Woody Allen.Michael James(Peter O'Toole) is a young, suave and handsome man who for reasons he can't fathom attracts ladies.He has had more affairs than you can count and lives with Carole(Romy Schneider)who is the closest to a fiancé he has ever had.They love each other a lot and she hopes he will propose to her.The comedy in What's New Pussycat lies in the scenes between Michael and his therapist Dr.Fritz Fassbender(Peter Sellers)who is one of the most bizarre characters ever put on screen, and the sheer bemusement of Michael at how many women are attracted to him. Filled with witty dialogue and funny situations, this is one that will cheer you up. There's quite a few famous stars in cameo appearances including Richard Burton,Woody Allen and Ursula Andress as a woman who quite literally drops into Michaels life.Well worth watching and plus there's that classic Tom Jones theme song.