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Strangers When We Meet

1960 1h 57m Drama List
60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Architect Larry Coe (Kirk Douglas) yearns to create adventurous designs, but his pragmatic wife, Eve (Barbara Rush), is determined to make her husband focus on more marketable, straightforward work. Maggie Gault (Kim Novak), a neighbor of the Coe family who is trapped in a loveless marriage, believes in Larry's creative impulses, and the pair eventually strike up a love affair. However, they're interrupted by the nosy, lecherous Felix (Walter Matthau), who has eyes for Eve.

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Illicit passion around the suburban barbecue pits is the tattered theme in this romantic drama. Dec 3, 2019 Full Review Lori Hoffman Atlantic City Weekly Rated: 3/5 Aug 17, 2006 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jun 19, 2005 Full Review Michael Szymanski International Press Academy Rated: 3/5 Jun 1, 2005 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews The bloated running time is exacerbated by a focus on pointless subplots... Rated: 2/4 Feb 26, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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j F It is a bit dated, since the 1950s and 60s deeply explored adultery to death. But regardless, well done, and interesting as a 60s snapshot. Kim Novak whispers throughout the dialog, a bit strange but sort of in theme. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/06/24 Full Review Audience Member Very interesting movie. A beautiful reflection upon love, art, freedom,,, Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member A house is constructed at the same an affair is constructed. I think both constructions are worth watching. Kim Novak and Kirk Douglas are legendary! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the great, vastly underrated soap operatic love stories, between Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak, who are married to other people. With Walter Matthau, Barbara Rush, and Ernie Kovacs. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I found this drama to be quite dull. The majority of it is spent with the actors sitting around talking, smoking, drinking, and talking some more. It has all the usual plot devices of an affair drama, no surprises or anything. It's not bad, though. I wouldn't say this movie was worse than any other movies like it. It's just not good either. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member the paradox within the cultural temperament of 1960s america is the juxtaposition of sexual liberation (free love among the youth) and the height of bourgeois suburban dream, the co-existence of radical activism and the conservative reactionary. thus "strangers when we meet" is the mediocre lukewarm product moulded by such social atmosphere. on the one hand, it encourages emancipation for married woman to re-vitalize her confidence meanwhile it also dubs moralistic pedogogy that marriage is a commitment which should not be nullfied. kim novak plays a housewife with a wooden un-passionate husand who demands her to put her clothes on in order to appear decent in their own house (come on, your wife is kim novak, wouldn't you supposedly be more passionate to such voluptuous woman?) thus she finds herself suffocated in a lifeless marriage, and she seeks solace from her neighbor, who happens also to be married, who also finds his wife quite insensitive to his passions of life, frustrated by the lack of mental connections and spiritua)l communications. in one scene, novak without bra, in a scarlett (flesh-red dress requests the man to kiss in a hissing exclamation as if she's sensually requesting for orgasm as you could clearly see the tempting shape of her naked bossom. the ending is that the woman just bids farewell to the man graciously without making a fuss about his sudden decision to depart and leave her in a loveless marriage. it's like saying: we have had a great fun together, and eventually i will return home to be a good little wife and you could easily take off. ok, perhaps i ideologize everything, it feels like a patronization of hugh hefner-esque chauvinism. yes, free love is only doable under the premise that woman is the man's plaything without any actual romantic consequence. (and woman, you're on your own, since i'm gonna help you.) BUT, how could you do except just letting him go? strangers when we meet, still strangers after you put your pants back on! quite a roller-coaster ride of free love without paying the ticket fair, isn't it? Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Strangers When We Meet

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Architect Larry Coe (Kirk Douglas) yearns to create adventurous designs, but his pragmatic wife, Eve (Barbara Rush), is determined to make her husband focus on more marketable, straightforward work. Maggie Gault (Kim Novak), a neighbor of the Coe family who is trapped in a loveless marriage, believes in Larry's creative impulses, and the pair eventually strike up a love affair. However, they're interrupted by the nosy, lecherous Felix (Walter Matthau), who has eyes for Eve.
Director
Richard Quine
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 57m