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The Loved One

Play trailer Poster for The Loved One Released Oct 11, 1965 1h 56m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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47% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
The suicide of his expatriate uncle (John Gielgud) draws Englishman and poet Dennis Barlow (Robert Morse) into California's booming funeral industry. Dennis falls for spiritual funeral home stylist Aimee (Anjanette Comer), whose boss, Mr. Joyboy (Rod Steiger), also has designs on her. Meanwhile, he's drawn into a crooked scheme by the cemetery's owner, Henry Glenworthy (Jonathan Winters), to shoot corpses into space and build a retirement home on the cemetery land.
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The Loved One

Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael LIFE So far off its satirical target that it's stupid when trying to be clever. Apr 19, 2022 Full Review Marvin Barrett The Reporter Southern has set himself an insoluble problem, and his response is appropriately neurotic and disconnected, a set of not very funny extraneous gags. Jan 25, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Time has worn much of the edge off the outrageous antics, though the scenes involving Mr. Joyboy's mother still have the power to (pick your poison) amuse/offend/anger/irritate/upset. Rated: 3/4 Nov 22, 2021 Full Review Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine It is hard to understand how a witty, tightly organized extravaganza like the Waugh novel... could have resulted in such a queasy, humorless, formless botch. Aug 13, 2019 Full Review Wendy Michener Maclean's Magazine A suicidal comedy embalmed in its own sick jokes... Jun 27, 2019 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion The corpse's laughter, the mortician's art Feb 14, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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david f This movie was all over the place and I couldn't really figure out what it was trying to say. A little mortuary satire, a little poetic-young-man satire, and some Hollywood cult satire thrown in. It did not add up to much. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Matthew D A darkly cynical satire that should be see by anyone and everyone with a love for the sardonic. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/25/21 Full Review Audience Member The best comedy movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Well a Mash like black comedy, just as good as Doctor Strangelove and very underrated. The acting is wonderful by all. Liberace is very surprising good as the soft spoken sleaze bag undertaker trying to sell every possible high price item and when you balk, that sneer contemptuous, "very good". You know, like at a snooty restaurant with a friend and you only order the salad and water because you really aren't hungry and the waiter thinks you are cheap. The racketeering like funeral business, the greed, the greed of cemeteries run by big corporations, the brain washed delight of a dysfunctional staff that enjoys the gruesome work as if they are creating great works of art in marble may not be for everyone. Lovely, lovely scenes especially of the cemetery. Now if they can just figure out a way to get those stiffs off the reverend's proprietary. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member A Gem among the 60's & early 70's black comedies, with a stellar cast and cameos. I find it interesting that the few low rating here are by people that clearly don't understand satire particularly black, does not have "punch line" jokes. Is it perfect, no.... but far better than the undeserved 1 or 2 stars a few have given. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Very funny, fine satire with excellent performances . I never heard of this movie in real time but am glad TCM gave me an opportunity to catch it . Fifty years later it is still a lot of laughs. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Loved One

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Cast & Crew

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Tony Richardson

Director

Robert Morse

Dennis Barlow

Jonathan Winters

Henry

Anjanette Comer

Aimee Thanatogenous

Rod Steiger

Mr. Joyboy

Dana Andrews

Gen. Buck Brinkman

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The Loved One

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Movie Info

Synopsis The suicide of his expatriate uncle (John Gielgud) draws Englishman and poet Dennis Barlow (Robert Morse) into California's booming funeral industry. Dennis falls for spiritual funeral home stylist Aimee (Anjanette Comer), whose boss, Mr. Joyboy (Rod Steiger), also has designs on her. Meanwhile, he's drawn into a crooked scheme by the cemetery's owner, Henry Glenworthy (Jonathan Winters), to shoot corpses into space and build a retirement home on the cemetery land.
Director
Tony Richardson
Producer
John Calley, Haskell Wexler
Screenwriter
Evelyn Waugh, Terry Southern, Christopher Isherwood
Production Co
Filmways Pictures, Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 11, 1965, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 11, 2015
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Mono
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