Friday Film Flashback: What's Up Doc?

 

 “What's Up Doc?” remains, in my opinion, one of the funniest movies to ever come out of Hollywood. Fifty (gulp!) years later, it still holds up.

This farcical tale centers on four identical overnight bags that get mixed up causing all kinds of hilarious trouble. One of the bags is full of expensive jewelry; another, top-secret government papers; another, igneous rocks belonging to Dr. Howard Bannister (Ryan O'Neal); and the fourth, the clothes and belongings of Judy Maxwell (Barbra Streisand), who seems to cause problems wherever she goes.

The bags get mixed up in a San Francisco hotel when people are trying to steal the jewels and the government papers and get the wrong ones. Another mix up – perpetuated by Judy – is that the man giving Howard grant money believes Judy is his fiance, Eunice Burns (Madeline Kahn). Eunice – again, thanks to Judy – is eventually kidnapped by the people trying to steal the jewels. When everyone realizes there are actually four identical bags a vehicle chase ensures through San Francisco, ending with all the vehicles driving off a pier and into the water. All the people involved end up in court, where we learn a little more about Judy.

This is my favorite Barbra Streisand movie. She's hilarious and beautiful and also sings a little. Ryan O'Neal is also hilarious, with deadpan deliveries that are spot on every time. Madeline Kahn is brilliant. It was her first film so I really can't say she was playing against type as the frumpy, somewhat unattractive Eunice but, knowing what we now know about her, that was definitely the case, making this performance that much more wonderful. The supporting cast is great, too.

Every time I watch it (and I do watch it often) I'm also reminded that writer Buck Henry was a comic genius.

If you haven't seen “What's Up Doc,” watch it. If you haven't seen it in a while, watch it again. You won't regret it.