Carnal Knowledge (1971)

Nominated for 1 Academy Award:

Best Supporting Actress: Ann-Margret

 

Mike Nichols must’ve loved making movies about couples and the complications of love & sex (see legendary Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and modern Closer), and Carnal Knowledge is somewhat similar in theme, but also more daring and riskier. There’s nudity, and also graphic recounts of sexual acts, so it was quite kinky for 1971, but nothing shocking for modern audiences. It’s about two immature men and their love and sexual interests throughout the years.

There are things I liked about it, like the cast. Jack is good, even though the character’s dislikeable, and Ann-Margret - bless her, she’s gorgeous, and everyone knows it, and her performance is not spectacular, but she does a lot with a character that’s not much on page. It’s efficient casting and she does bring a certain vulnerability in a film dominated by assholes. What I didn’t like was how basic the story was at times, how it didn’t explore enough the characters and showed little interest in the plot. It’s one of the more prestigious Mike Nichols films, so I guess it’s worth seeing.

 

I give it: 7/10

IMDB LINK