Verdict
Summary
A cute and adult-centric “romantic comedy” before they ever invented the term, House Calls really only stays relevant because of its performances, namely a charming Matthau, who coasts through this thing like the pro that he was. Howard Zieff directed it with a sure hand, and the supporting players keep the film watchable.
Plot:
A doctor and widower falls in love with a woman who runs a cheesecake business.
Review:
Recently widowed Charley (Walter Matthau) returns from a Hawaiian vacation and gets back to work as a surgeon at a dumpy hospital in Los Angeles where another surgeon (Art Carney) botched a surgery of a famous millionaire, resulting in the patient’s death, which is going to cost the hospital millions in settlement fees and will likely be the cause for the hospital’s closure. Charley’s best friend is a fellow surgeon (played by Richard Benjamin) who encourages him to start dating again, and Charley begins the process of dating younger women and getting laid again, but he’s completely out of practice and out of touch with everything. When he meets a single mother and cheesecake business owner named Ann (Glenda Jackson) who recently came into the hospital for routine surgery, Charley is smitten with her and her spunk and fierce independence, but neither of them realize how deep their love will run, which results in an unintended heartbreak when Charley goofs up one night with another woman. Charley’s “house calls” to Ann turn serious as he fights to win back her heart.
A cute and adult-centric “romantic comedy” before they ever invented the term, House Calls really only stays relevant because of its performances, namely a charming Matthau, who coasts through this thing like the pro that he was. Howard Zieff directed it with a sure hand, and the supporting players keep the film watchable. Movies such as this simply aren’t made in this way anymore, and if you’re looking for a mature drama with a sweet heart and soul, House Calls brings the remedy.
Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray for House Calls comes in a nice high definition transfer, upgrading the previous DVD from Universal. It comes with a new audio commentary by two film journalists, plus the trailer.
