ClassyWas Excellent, smart action film.

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

fung0 I'm not surprised to see mixed reviews for this odd, artsy and challenging film. I only caught it by accident, as part of the day-long tribute to James Garner aired by TCM a few days after he'd passed away. Despite being a life-long fan of Garner, this was a film I'd missed. When it started, I didn't even know what it was. For the first few minutes, I didn't know it starred Garner.This turned out to be an extremely fortuitous way to experience Mister Buddwing. I was enthralled by the visual style even before I knew what I was watching. As the narrative evolved, I became even more enthralled. This is a miraculously good film - perhaps not perfect, but so audacious it really deserves a 10 out of 10. (And I hand them out *very* grudgingly.)There are many things to enjoy here, but I'll focus on just three aspects of the film.First and foremost, there's the magnificent black and white photography of New York City in the 1960s. It works both as pure composition and as a visual tribute to the 'old' New York, that dark, grimy one that was already fading into history when this film was made. I'd say this film does New York at least as well as Woody Allen's Manhattan, and in support of a far more clever drama. (I'm a huge Allen fan, but I see Manhattan as one of his rare failures - aside from the photography.)Second, there's the clever structure. Some reviews have noted that it does work like a stage play. But in a good way. The story progresses by a series of repeated approximations. Several different women all serve as surrogates for Buddwing's lost love, Grace. Each portrays a different aspect of this phantom lady, and each helps to flesh out a different aspect of Buddwing's life - both for him and for us. Bits of dialog echo from one version to another. Mirrors play an important role, accentuating the reverberations. This film is as good a cinematic simulation of a drug trip, or a lucid dream, as you're going to find. You really start to feel that there's a memory that's just escaping you, a reality that you can't quite recapture.Third, there are the performances. Angela Lansbury deserves special credit for her frowsy blonde, an uncharacteristic part that reminds us of this lady's true acting prowess. The other women are all excellent, in their own ways. Suzanne Pleshette is adorable, Katharine Ross at her most wholesomely appealing, and Jean Simmons at her most acidic. Jack Gilford has a wonderful bit as "Mr. Schwartz," and George Voskovec is perfect as 'God.' ("You're crazier than I am," wails Garner.)Hollywood rarely creates this kind of 'art' film. Mister Buddwing could be slipped into a Fellini, or Antonioni or Bergman retrospective, without seeming out of place. But where so many 'art' films are merely 'arty', Mister Buddwing gets it right. It's got human drama, wit and enormous style. It's not merely vague, or obscure; it's visionary. It's about something.In short, I can't recommend this film highly enough. Don't expect The Thrill of It All, or Maverick, or Murphy's Romance. Think of Mister Buddwing as a more-romantic companion to 36 Hours. Or a 1960s equivalent of Forest Gump. This is clearly intended as a film about redemption, not of just one man, but of an entire generation that was just awakening to the realization that it had lost its way.

marlun101 i read a novel in my late teens which i am pretty sure is this moviedoes anyone know the exact title and authors name?and more importantly where i might get a copy?the book left such an impression that i stored away the name buddwing fast in my memory (the expression 'hard wired' hadn't been invented then)at that time i was fairly well read belying my age but it some how touched my imagination deeply and left a lasting impression anyone help?marlunps i found this sight courtesy of google

katesullivan1 A quirky, moody, sleight of reality. As this movie progresses it becomes more an altered chronology of remembered events rather than a series of hallucinations. The city of New York is more than a geographical location, it is an artistic "set". The use of black and white rather than color gives this particular "set" a role in establishing the mood and tone. ALL the shots are for dramatic effect, not a wasted inch. High contrast but in a muted way. A perfect example is the black iron walkway leading to the bridge against a NY skyline and Suzanne Pleshette in a white coat and boots (ala '60"s). This composition has great dark lines and light forms but almost in an early evening haze. Then, I also must comment on Jean Simmons like I've hardly ever seen her. She was so coquettish, lush, lively and degenerate at the same time that I thought I was seeing Vivien Leigh as a young flapper. I was quite mesmerized trying to reconcile this Jean Simmons with "Young Bess". I thought she was the spark of the whole movie.The cutting and arranging of the sequences lent themselves to dramatically unfolding the story in non-chronological order. This is what made me think of "Memento".Like "Memento"'s Guy Pearce, James Garner mostly stumbles through "Mr. Buddwing" fairly stupefied. This behavior seems about right to me if someone were truly experiencing this altered reality.I recommend this movie for a dark, hushed evening, especially if you have friends willing to "suspend dis-belief" and careen around New York and James Garner's head.

sharona_x007 I like the film for its New York mid-60s esthetic, but I agree with others who liken the film to a religious allegory. The use of the name "Grace" and the frequent mentions of God....allegorical. But instead of reminding me of other amnesia films, instead it somewhat reminds me of The Swimmer with its conversations that begin as if we already know all the characters involved and the circumstances therein.Jean Simmons and Suzanne Pleshette give performances that are called for in this type of production (what fun to see Correges white fashion boots on Pleshette, just like the ones I wore in high school in 1966!). And I do love James Garner, but as someone else has stated, Anthony Perkins would have owned this film.One of Garner's best films ever was another B&W called "The Americanization of Emily."