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Shampoo

Play trailer Poster for Shampoo R Released Feb 11, 1975 1h 52m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 104 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Against the backdrop of Nixon's election to office, Beverly Hills hairdresser and notorious rake George Roundy (Warren Beatty) runs into trouble when his lascivious habits begin to clash with his more responsible business ambitions. Things get even more complex when Roundy asks his wealthy mistress, Felicia Karpf (Lee Grant), for a business loan, unaware that his best friend and ex-girlfriend, Jackie (Julie Christie), is sleeping with Karpf's husband, Lester (Jack Warden).
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Shampoo

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Critics Consensus

Shampoo trains a darkly comic lens on post-Nixon America, aiming at -- and often hitting -- an array of timely targets.

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Critics Reviews

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Phil Strassberg Arizona Republic "Shampoo" bristles with fun. Apr 24, 2025 Full Review Jay Cocks TIME Magazine Much of Shampoo is good enough to make one regret its ultimate filature. Mar 21, 2025 Full Review Dilys Powell The Times (UK) It is finely played, the three beautiful women in particular ranging convincingly from the frivolous to the febrile. Mar 3, 2025 Full Review Roger Harris Newark Star-Ledger One thing that Ashby has going for him is wit. The dialogue is breezy and bright and so is the tone of the movie. It is always funny. Aug 27, 2025 Full Review Frances Taylor Newark Star-Ledger I laughed a few times but I was bored part of the time and offended part of the time. Aug 27, 2025 Full Review Ed Hayman Flint Journal "Shampoo" is a solid literary conception, and a disquieting reminder of where we have been. Aug 19, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Daniel B Surprisingly talky, and not very compelling, basically everyone is sleeping with everyone else. Good acting though. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/21/25 Full Review Jarrod R For a few reasons, this was a tough one for me to fully embrace. First, this movie was released in 1975, but it provided a glimpse of the 1968 Presidential election, so I was already on unsteady footing from a temporal standpoint. Why did they go back to 1968 when it was only 7 years in the past? I'll have to do some research into the mindset of the creative team to understand why they went in this direction. Warren Beatty, as the hairdressing genius George, seems to be in his element in Shampoo and is comfortable navigating this chaos quite effectively. The main scene in the salon when there is a tempest swirling around him for clients and his fellow hairdressers is something to behold and gives us a glimpse of what it is like to be in the center of the action. In this era, concerning the actors and actresses, there is an embarrassment of riches. Goldie Hawn, as Beatty's current significant other, Julie Christie, as his ex, and Lee Grant, as his current lover, all deliver outstanding performances. And then there is Jack Warden, playing "Mr. Business," who represents the conservative factor of this era, and gets tied together with Beatty when he asks him to fund his parlor and take his business to the next level. I enjoyed every scene with these actors together, especially toward the end when the movie was drawing to a close. And let's take a moment to recognize a budding new talent of that time, Carrie Fisher, who played the daughter of Lee Grant's and Jack Warden's characters. While her time on screen was brief, she does an excellent job holding her own with Warren Beatty. All told, I enjoyed much of what I saw in Shampoo, I would have enjoyed seeing more of the characters fleshed out so that there was a stronger emotional payoff in the third act. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/25 Full Review Bahad j I felt like the characters in this movie could feel the happiness and difficulties that they faced in real life. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/10/24 Full Review CodyZamboni Z Amusing , with some big moments of insight and moral perspective, Goldie Hawn stands out in a top notch cast, She is funny, charming, and has never looked better on film, I didn't know this movie took place in 1960's, LA sure is smoggy, Kudos to the filmmakers for the sobering ending, Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/10/24 Full Review Allen R Entertaining and it looks beautiful, but it's hard to not see that the guy who doesn't care about cheating is going to get caught. It's also hard to root for him when he doesn't seem to have any remorse about it. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/12/24 Full Review Elizabeth M I really enjoyed this film. A lot of twists and turns, but it’s so well done and everyone was perfectly cast. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Against the backdrop of Nixon's election to office, Beverly Hills hairdresser and notorious rake George Roundy (Warren Beatty) runs into trouble when his lascivious habits begin to clash with his more responsible business ambitions. Things get even more complex when Roundy asks his wealthy mistress, Felicia Karpf (Lee Grant), for a business loan, unaware that his best friend and ex-girlfriend, Jackie (Julie Christie), is sleeping with Karpf's husband, Lester (Jack Warden).
Director
Hal Ashby
Producer
Warren Beatty
Screenwriter
Robert Towne, Warren Beatty
Distributor
Criterion Collection, Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation, Persky-Bright / Vista
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 11, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2011
Runtime
1h 52m
Sound Mix
Mono
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