When people have too much time on their hands or too much to drink, sometimes they tend to analyze themselves a bet too much. This focuses on five men at a bachelor party, overly confident at the outstart but revealing their insecurities and self doubts as the evening goes on and the liquor flows. The ensemble includes some of the most promising young actors of the 1950s, some who would go on too much greater success.
Don Murray is the unofficial lead as a married man who finds out that his wife, Patricia Smith, is going to have their first child, and this brings out a lot of stress and anger and regret. Then there's the seemingly older but eternal bachelor Jack Warden who is desperate to find some female action, and Phillip Abbott as the room to be with a lot of doubts. Other than Larry Blyden as one of the men given a character name, none of these people's identities are mentioned, giving the film an "every man" sort of feel.
The few women who appear throughout the film are basically minor parts but they still have strengths as far as character development mainly for themselves but also giving insights into the men surrounding them. Smith, as the pregnant wife, is filled with her own insecurities and Nancy Marchand, as her sister, is also very revealing in her brief time on screen. But the real powerhouse performance is Carolyn Jones, sporting her popular pixie haircut of the 50's, and really making a major impact in just a brief time.
Direction by Daniel Mann and a powerful script by Paddy Chayevsky add to the very personal atmosphere that utilizes great New York City locations and is filled with little details that make the stand the test of time. The scene on the subway as two co-workers observe a woman being harassed by another man on the train its just one little example of how powerful good drama can be when it is written with character in mind rather than exploitive plot
Don Murray is the unofficial lead as a married man who finds out that his wife, Patricia Smith, is going to have their first child, and this brings out a lot of stress and anger and regret. Then there's the seemingly older but eternal bachelor Jack Warden who is desperate to find some female action, and Phillip Abbott as the room to be with a lot of doubts. Other than Larry Blyden as one of the men given a character name, none of these people's identities are mentioned, giving the film an "every man" sort of feel.
The few women who appear throughout the film are basically minor parts but they still have strengths as far as character development mainly for themselves but also giving insights into the men surrounding them. Smith, as the pregnant wife, is filled with her own insecurities and Nancy Marchand, as her sister, is also very revealing in her brief time on screen. But the real powerhouse performance is Carolyn Jones, sporting her popular pixie haircut of the 50's, and really making a major impact in just a brief time.
Direction by Daniel Mann and a powerful script by Paddy Chayevsky add to the very personal atmosphere that utilizes great New York City locations and is filled with little details that make the stand the test of time. The scene on the subway as two co-workers observe a woman being harassed by another man on the train its just one little example of how powerful good drama can be when it is written with character in mind rather than exploitive plot