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Show By Jean Piatt The title of the film, Housecalls, brings to mind a porn film dealing with playing doctor. Too bad, because a glance at the cast indicates that not only is this image misleading, it is dead wrong. Housecalls is an unpretentious comedy about a doctor and a hospital, without becoming too enmeshed in satire on the medical profession. The film has an admirable cast starring Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Richard Benjamin, and Art Carney. All in all, it is a pat little love story with a comic twist. For Walter Matthau's character, life begins at middle age with the death of his wife. The widower returns from a vacation in Hawaii to find that a middle-aged doctor is in big demand with young nurses, lawyers, and nymphettes, and sets about to enjoy the rewards of his new-found bachelorhood. However, enter the opinionated, intelligent, attractive middle aged woman patient as played by Glenda Jackson, and you have the ingredients for romance after 35. Matthau finds that, in spite of himself, intellectual as well as sexual stimulation is more to his liking. Thus, we have the funny love story and courtship evolving to carry the film. But life at the hospital is not all romance., Art Carney plays the senile head of the hospital, bungling operations, missing patients, losing time, and sleeping on the job. His ineptness is apparent to the entire staff, but not always so apparent to the patients, until one dies on the operating table. To add to Carney's misery, this patient had bequeathed 5 million dollars to the hospital, but now his widow wants to sue for a 10 million dollar malpractice suit. Of course the day is to be saved by Matthau, who is much more diplomatic and charismic, but the hospital politics keep getting in the way. Richard Benjamin plays Matthau's friend and fellow doctor, one of the two sane men left in the hospital staff who must suffer through the mistakes and inadequacies of their job because, after all, it is a job, and a much better one for a surgeon then making housecalls. Their one hope is that the head doctor will retire or expire soon. The film moves smoothly between romance and the hospital, taking us through the life of the harrassed doctor. But the main plot is the romance between Glenda Jackson and Walter Matthau, offering many light moments with quick dialogue. It is a romance without the usual saccharine quality most writers find necessary to put on the screen. Here are two "older" people enjoying their prime of life by finding each other. It is refreshing to see a film that allows for two middle-aged people to enjoy each other - no December-May romance, no young romance, but two realistically-aged people in their established time of life falling in love. 1 ' Visually, the filme is well directed and appealing. It moves fluidly and easily, taking us along for the enjoyment. Sight gags are minimal, perhaps because the film could fall into television sit-com style if they were used. But the dialogue is funny and well written. Although the film could be viewed by any age audience (there is no nudity or love scenes, per se), it appeals to the adult intelligence and sense of humor. Housecalls will never be a classic, but it is enjoyable viewing, without much thinking, for an entertaining evening at the movies. |