Just Tell Me What You Want

Director: Sidney Lumet Sidney Lumet

Overview

In this Sidney Lumet romantic comedy, Max Herschel (Alan King) is a powerful businessman who keeps a bevy of beauties for pleasure to escape his alcoholic wife, Connie (Dina Merrill). His main minx is Bones Burton (Ali MacGraw), a successful television producer who is tiring of Max's lack of commitment. When she takes up with Steven (Peter Weller), Max does everything in his power to win her back. Silent screen star Myrna Loy plays Max's faithful secretary, in her last big-screen role, and steals the show.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/07/2010
UPC:	0883316219874
Original Release:	1980
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:54:00
Sales rank:	42,394

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Alan King	Max Herschel
Ali MacGraw	Bones Burton
Myrna Loy	Stella Liberti
Keenan Wynn	Seymour Berger
Tony Roberts	Mike Berger
Peter Weller	Steven Routledge
Sara Truslow	Cathy
Judy Kaye	Baby
Dina Merrill	Connie Herschel
Joseph Maher	Dr. Coleson
John Walter Davis	Stan
Annabel Lukins	New Baby
Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter	Teddy
Michael Gross	Lothar
Joseph Leon	Julie Raskin
Raymond Thorne	Dr. Jowdy
Tom Batten	Dr. Kierstein
Leslie Easterbrook	Hospital Nurse
Paul E. Guskin	Mark Gosse
Stanley Greene	Bones' Lester
Lee Doyle	Party Major Domo
Mike Howard	Dr. Benecek
Paddy Croft	Berger's Secretary
Andrew Murphy	Limo Driver
Margie Swearingen	Hollywood Actress
Lacey Neuhaus	Party Blonde
Phil Leto	Hair Dresser
Tony Munafo	Lukins Guard
David Rasche	Stopwatch Producer
John Gabriel	Commentator
Ruth Holden	Monica Miles
Paul Farentino	Max's Chauffeur
Bill Masi	Butler
Ron Millkie	Waiter

Technical Credits

Jay Presson Allen

Sidney Lumet	Director,Producer
Jay Presson Allen	Producer,Screenwriter
Burtt Harris	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Just prior to the dawn of the Reagan era, Jay Presson Allen and Sidney Lumet teamed up for this fine, overlooked adaptation of Allen's 1975 novel of high comedy, that brutally satirizes the New York elite from within. Alan King stars as Max Herschel, an industrial overlord in the Trump and Buffett mold. At the outset, Max's manipulations have sent his fragile wife (Dina Merrill) to a mental institution, threaten to drive his mistress/protégé, "Bones" Burton (Ali MacGraw), into the arms of a failing playwright, and leave Max vulnerable to canny movie studio head Seymour Berger (Keenan Wynn). Lumet and Allen ultimately set the stage for a series of near-conniptions and nervous breakdowns when everything that Max has learned to rely on as stable and predictable comes raining down onto the poor man's head. By the second half, the film explodes into a battle of egos between lovers Herschel and Burton, as Lumet and Allen aim their sights, more broadly, at kissing off the Manhattan elite, with its grotesque subculture of Bergdorf-Goodman garments, Bulgari jewels, and private planes. This material is tricky enough that the film could have gone dreadfully wrong, but much of it works, thanks largely to its pitch-perfect tone that enables us to never lose sight of Max's vulnerabilities. The onscreen events might come across as hostile or even tragic were it not for the razor-sharp precision -- and glee -- with which the filmmakers unveil the desperate, whiny child at Max's core, the need for say in every arena that he can get his mitts on. He's obnoxious and grating, but also - as scripted by Allen and played by King - too hilarious and pathetic to ever warrant any serious dislike or disgust. Even before the roof over his head begins to collapse, Herschel perpetually breaches the edge of absurdity. Other elements of the film are also uniformly strong, including its satirical dialogue and a superb ensemble cast including MacGraw, Myrna Loy, Tony Roberts and Peter Weller. Unfortunately, audiences didn't agree with this assessment, and the film bombed, practically opening and closing overnight. Lumet and Allen's careers continued unabated, however, and they reteamed immediately afterward for the better-received Prince of the City (1981).

All Movie Guide - Nathan Southern