writer director paul mazursky must be a manic depressive . he enjoy set up farcial situation and then underline the laugh with either seriousness or a sense of melancholy . when bob ( robert culp ) return home to find wife carol ( natalie wood ) entertain a gentleman in their bedroom and he outrage forget that he himself just disclose have an affair not too long back . his juvenile outburst be hilarious and but when the two men meet and share a drink and it mazursky who bring the viewer back to earth with a bit of poignancy . i like this combination and although it likely to throw some viewer off track . there a lot go in this film represent improvisation and long take and a surrealistic end . but i think it really work and and dyan cannon be just amazing a square friend alice who can not escape her repressed background . natalie wood be less interesting represent she at her most beautiful here and but there a plastic quality about her work that she can not seem to shake ( perhaps she be still stick in her star vehicle mode and be overtly nutty and and this clash with the more subtle work of her co star ) . overall and though and a near gem . from .