A New Leaf

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A New Leaf

G

1971

1h 42m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

70 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

A spoiled and self-absorbed man who has squandered his inheritance, Henry Graham (Walter Matthau) is desperate to find a way to maintain his lavish lifestyle. Henry sees an opportunity when he meets Henrietta Lowell (Elaine May), an awkward and bookish heiress. Though Henry courts Henrietta, he has no intention of remaining with her, and he develops a surprisingly sinister scheme. As Henry attempts to execute his plan, he finds that seeing it through may not be as easy as he had thought.

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Critics Consensus

Elaine May is a comedic dynamo both behind and in front of the camera in this viciously funny screwball farce, with able support provided by Walter Matthau.

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Molly Haskell

Village Voice

The picture as it now stands is very funny indeed, but more charming than uproarious, and quite surprisingly romantic.

Apr 20, 2022

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Susan Stark

Detroit Free Press

Maybe you can't even remember the last time you saw a purely lovable movie. A New Leaf, Elaine May's airy romantic comedy about a penniless bon vivant's pursuit of a gentle but very wealthy frump, will refresh your memory.

Feb 10, 2022

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

A New Leaf is one of the funniest and most tender films I have ever seen.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 10, 2022

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

It’s goofy and bleak and perfect.

Mar 29, 2025

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Dave Giannini

InSession Film

In a movie full of darkness, Elaine May is a pure light giving just enough to change Henry from pitch dark to just a slight amount of gray. Enough to care for her and enough to make us believe it.

Feb 23, 2024

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

A New Leaf comingles 1930s screwball, 1940s Preston Sturges, and 1950s Ealing comedies to uneven but sometimes sublime results.

Sep 12, 2022

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Mike V

Henry & Henrietta… the love couple of the seventies... and the laugh riot of the year. A New Leaf is a 1971 American black comedy film written and directed by Elaine May in her directorial debut 🍃 It’s good 🙂 Worth a watch. I’d recommend it if you like this genre 👍🏼 After running out of funds, Henry Graham, a carefree playboy, plots to marry and murder wealthy botanist Henrietta Lowell.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/10/25

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Blu B

A RomCom Classic. The script is very charming, witty, cynical, and sweet. Balancing the tone perfectly with excellent editing pacing. The acting and cinematography is really good too with really good direction. May is excellent as the clumsy, awkward, but sweet and charming Henrietta. Everyone else is really good but she steals the show for me. The settings are very memorable too. The only real complaints is the music isn't bad but it's not used enough and I wish it were a bit more catchy. Finally, this is very witty, clever, and keeps you guessing. For me it can be a bit lacking in the humor department which this clearly is going for. When it hits it really hits good but it goes long stretches where it can be just a bit dry. I wish it was a bit more consistent with the humor and fitting the laughs better into the witty first rate script. Anyone though who is a fan of romance, comedies, the director, or any actors in this should still check this out. It's really good.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/31/24

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Dallas H

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels intertwined with The Odd Couple; I liked it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/12/24

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Rick O

I like it a lot but my wife LOVES this movie. Matthau at his best. So many classic scenes that just improve with each viewing. Matthau as Henry across the desk from his completely exasperated tax man. It's timeless and I think it will have an audience forever.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/29/24

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Linda H

One of our favorite movies! Silly and full.. full of off beat characters.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/24

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Alec B

Its a shame we never have and probably never will see May's original three hour cut because as wonderfully weird and funny as the current version is, the film's energy does fizzle out towards the end. Perhaps with the darker subplots restored this could change, but since that is unlikely I'll take the sweet, oddball romantic comedy we got instead.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

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Elaine May

Director

Walter Matthau

Henry Graham

Elaine May

Henrietta Lowell

Jack Weston

Andy McPherson

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Synopsis

A spoiled and self-absorbed man who has squandered his inheritance, Henry Graham (Walter Matthau) is desperate to find a way to maintain his lavish lifestyle. Henry sees an opportunity when he meets Henrietta Lowell (Elaine May), an awkward and bookish heiress. Though Henry courts Henrietta, he has no intention of remaining with her, and he develops a surprisingly sinister scheme. As Henry attempts to execute his plan, he finds that seeing it through may not be as easy as he had thought.

Director: Elaine May
Producer: Joseph Manduke, Hillard Elkins, Howard W. Koch
Screenwriter: Elaine May
Production Co: Paramount, Aries Productions
Rating: G
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2012
Runtime: 1h 42m

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