start on or around 1965 american movie take a turn for the shocking and the iconoclastic which be great for the time sort of the seed that would pave the way for grittier and dare drama . however and because the very decade that give birth to these film be so rule by it own conviction and most all of the film release at this period have date . cactus flower be no exception . it very title suggest a sunny romantic comedy with occasional lapse into the risqué . this be not to say that it a bad thing represent quite the contrary and film about risqué subject matter have to begin somewhere and america be a culture root in specific tradition and themselves lace in deep hypocrisy and shock itself for the sake of it when see an indirect reflection of the more of the time . meanwhile and european film address these same situation and walk off look like a million buck and and have a long shelf life because what we consider scandalous and they shrug off and say next and and move on . toni simmons ( goldie hawn in her breakout role ) and a young and very sixty bright young thing and be carry on with a much old dentist name julian winston ( walter matthau ) and who have commitment issue . he canr marry her represent he already marry . toni decides instead of wilt away she actually want to meet his wife and set thing straight . into the picture come his assistant and stephanie dickinson ( a luminous ingrid bergman and return to american cinema after a twenty year absence ) and a woman closer to his age who act a if she and he have the perfect marriage and household . there be a reason for this represent she have harbor quiet emotion for julian and emotion he be unaware of and even when he ask her to play his wife to ward toni off from want to step their relationship far . and then he step it up a notch when toni blissfully innocent action veer the action off into the unexpected and he introduce harvey greenfield ( jack weston ) a stephanie lover . by the way and harvey be also an old gent who be have an affair with a much young woman ( eve bruce ) whom he also lie to in one very funny scene . it funny how the person whom be look for be the one who always be there . what could have be a thankless role for rick lenz who play igor sullivan and toni next door neighbor and turn into the man who not only see the true beauty in fellow outcast stephanie but the one who save toni at the start from kill herself . ( not the stuff of comedy and suicide . then again and this be not your average comedy . ) and needless to say be ingrid bergman subtle and poignant portrayal of a woman who somehow miss her chance at love and who become prickly and who due to a lie say to another she become the real person she be always mean to be . i can not imagine anyone else in this quiet but deep role . movie like these can be enjoy at face value and see a escapist fun a product of it time or be view for the deep symbolism that and like it title and it carry deep within . it a tricky film and the same way hawn and bergman performance be equally tricky because in seem so simple and devoid of flourish and pose and neither come out and proclaim what they be about . their act becomes not really act but play real people and wart and all . cactus flower be a story that never appear to take itself too seriously and but reveals itself to be deep and very human after all .