The Sterile Cuckoo

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The Sterile Cuckoo

PG

Released Oct 22, 1969

1h 48m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

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8 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Uptight college freshman Jerry Payne (Wendell Burton) finds a carefree friend in zany Pookie (Liza Minnelli). After an awkward meeting on the bus, where they are headed to different colleges, Pookie quickly works her way into Jerry's life. She makes an unannounced visit to Jerry's campus, and before long annoyance turns to affection, and friendship turns to romance. But with Pookie's increasingly neurotic behavior, how long can this love affair last?

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The Sterile Cuckoo is not as good as it should have been because it lacks consistency of tone. But parts of it are awfully good, and Miss Minnelli is one hell of an actress.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Age has not been particularly kind to it, but... [it's] carried off with far more competence and assurance than many directorial debuts have enjoyed.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 11, 2009

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 4, 2005

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Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Rated: 3/5

Feb 7, 2005

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Steve Crum

Kansas City Kansan

If I hear "Come Saturday Morning" one more time, I will throw something at innocent Pookie!

Rated: 2/5

Oct 15, 2004

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Nick Davis

Nick's Flick Picks

Liza Minnelli starring as a free spirit named "Pookie" could get old fast--but it doesn't, and the movie is warm and engaging.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 20, 2004

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jim s

The only movie via John Nichols I ever enjoyed. Roger Ebert and other elite critics completely miss the point of this movie. It is not for the common herd, sans, an appreciation of wit and intellect. Pookie (Mineli) was superb in her recall of witticisms that, probably akin to the common theatre goer, zipped right by the dim witted boyfriend. She had the goods on the sixties zeitgeist, along with its beer, toga parties, sex and inane conversation that posed as Hip. She became so thoroughly frustrated in her attempts to civilize the collegiate society; she simply signed off. Her boyfriend, dullard as he was, thought he was doing Pookie a favor which demonstrates his total misunderstanding of Pookie. I could go on. I say to all. Read some Martin Amis, his dad, Douglas Adams, et al then revisit The Sterile Cuckoo.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/09/23

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Martin B

Lisa Minelli's best acting performance in my view. A turbulent time. Yet this movie highlights the insecurity and angst of young people out on their own for the first time in a more tranquil setting highlighting their turmoil. A brilliant move. The plot, traditional Northeast setting, the 1950's VW Beetle, a touchstone of the times for many of us. A must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/03/23

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Audience Member

Nice, tender, inconclusive, atypical young love story, whose main strength comes in the elegance in the way it is treated, and the great work of Minelli, who expresses fragility at the same time of a irreverent sense of humour.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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steve d

It hasn't aged terribly but it has become forgettable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Great movie. Liza Minnelli does an awesome job.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

I thought for sure she was gona turn all psycho as a result on unstability, I could relate to her ability to lie so easy, having had lived with such a storey teller.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

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Alan J. Pakula

Director

Liza Minnelli

Pookie Adams

Wendell Burton

Jerry Payne

Tim McIntire

Charlie Schumacher

Elizabeth Harrower

Landlady

Austin Green

Pookie's Father

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Synopsis

Uptight college freshman Jerry Payne (Wendell Burton) finds a carefree friend in zany Pookie (Liza Minnelli). After an awkward meeting on the bus, where they are headed to different colleges, Pookie quickly works her way into Jerry's life. She makes an unannounced visit to Jerry's campus, and before long annoyance turns to affection, and friendship turns to romance. But with Pookie's increasingly neurotic behavior, how long can this love affair last?

Director: Alan J. Pakula
Producer: Alan J. Pakula
Screenwriter: Alvin Sargent
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 22, 1969, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 13, 2017
Runtime: 1h 48m

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