After burning through his trust fund, New York City playboy Walter Matthau must find a wealthy woman to marry or else lose everything, including his dignity; Elaine May (who also directed and adapted the screenplay from a short story by Jack Ritchie) is Matthau's target--a rich, klutzy plain-Jane botanist and bleeding heart. Not especially sharp (or satiric where it needed to be), but nevertheless a lot of fun. Matthau scores some big laughs; when he suddenly takes charge and fires May's thieving household staff, Matthau is comically forceful (a superb mixture which suits him). He even manages to make some of the lesser scenes (particularly a camping trip near the finish) amusing. May is sweetly frazzled and gives herself some good lines, yet she appears to understand this is Walter's movie and so allows him room to run the gamut from sneaky conniver to protective husband. The editing is noticeably ragged, with some scenes cut off too quickly and James Coco's role (as Matthau's uncle) amounting to little more than a cameo. However, when May gets her timing right and relies on the smart dialogue rather than the somewhat awkward physical comedy, the results are very appealing. **1/2 from ****
Review of A New Leaf
