Blake Edwards’ That’s Life!

Directed by Blake Edwards, Blake Edwards’ That’s Life! follows longtime married couple Harvey (Jack Lemmon) and Gillian (Julie Andrews) as they confront a series of personal problems and issues in the lead-up to Harvey’s 60th birthday celebration. Edwards, working from a script written with Milton Wexler, delivers a meandering, hit-and-miss endeavor that benefits substantially from its predictably stellar performances, as both Lemmon and Andrews ably (and convincingly) step into the shoes of their respective characters to a rather hypnotic degree from start to finish – with, especially, Lemmon’s stellar turn as a seriously self-centered and self-absorbed figure remaining an obvious highlight within the proceedings. It’s clear, however, that Blake Edwards’ That’s Life!‘s somewhat episodic sensibilities paves the way for a midsection that’s perhaps not quite as consistent as one might’ve preferred, and there’s little doubt, certainly, that Edwards’ periodic emphasis on random bits of silliness contributes heavily to the picture’s less-than-spellbinding atmosphere. (Harvey attempting to cope with a bad case of crabs during a church service falls pointedly flat, for example.) By the time the movie arrives at its satisfying and unexpectedly emotional third act, which boasts a fantastic scene wherein Gillian finally confronts Harvey over his narcissism, Blake Edwards’ That’s Life! has cemented its place as an uneven yet mostly rewarding effort from an admittedly erratic filmmaker.

*** out of ****

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