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Husbands

Husbands

Comedy · Drama · 1970

A common friend's sudden death brings three men, married with children, to reconsider their lives and ultimately leave the country together. But mindless enthusiasm for regained freedom will be short-lived.

Movie details

Husbands

“A comedy about life, death and freedom.”

1970 Comedy · Drama 2h 11m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

A common friend's sudden death brings three men, married with children, to reconsider their lives and ultimately leave the country together. But mindless enthusiasm for regained freedom will be short-lived.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Husbands?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Peter's Friends

Peter's Friends

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Parting Glances

Parting Glances

Comedy · 1986

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Seemingly opposite street hoopers, Jeremy, an injury prone former star, and Kamal, a has-been prodigy, team up to take one final shot at living out their dreams.

Withnail & I

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Comedy · 1987

Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty, they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.

Standing Up, Falling Down

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An unlikely friendship kindles between a struggling stand-up comedian from L.A. — forced to move back home to Eastern Long Island with his tail between his legs — and a tragically flawed, but charming and charismatic, alcoholic dermatologist. Discovering to be kindred spirits, each helps the other find healing, in addition to the confidence to face the "failures" in their lives.

The Banshees of Inisherin

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House of D

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Comedy · 2004

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Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

Comedy · 1969

After returning to Los Angeles from a group therapy session, documentary filmmaker Bob Sanders and his wife, Carol, find themselves becoming vigilante couples counselors, offering unsolicited advice to their best friends, Ted and Alice Henderson. Not wanting to be rude, the Hendersons play along, but some latent sexual tension among the four soon comes bubbling to the surface, and long-buried desires don't stay buried for long.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Cassavetes

Written by

John Cassavetes

Ben Gazzara

Ben Gazzara

Harry

Peter Falk

Peter Falk

Archie Black

John Cassavetes

John Cassavetes

Gus Demetri

Jenny Runacre

Jenny Runacre

Mary Tynan

J

Jenny Lee Wright

Pearl Billingham

N

Noelle Kao

Julie

J

John Kullers

Red

Court is in session

Put Husbands on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.