Review of Sweet November

Although "Sweet November" features Sandy Dennis and Anthony Newley in the leads, the real stars of this picture turn out to be the talented art directors--and also that amazing New York City skyline, circa 1967. Plush romantic comedy is weighted with flibbertigibbet whimsy and sentiment, however it looks good enough to eat. The pathos are never too annoying because the look of the film (and also the music score by Michel Legrand) is so inviting. Opening with one of those fabulous aerial shots of the Big Apple which marked many a theatrical feature and TV series intro in the 1960s, we soon meet Newley as a British box manufacturer and Dennis playing a 23-year-old landlord (they have a meet-cute at the DMV!). After some 20 minutes of colorless exposition, Dennis discloses her romantic situation: she takes one lover a month into her cozy abode, helping to mold the man's character before sending him on his way. Newley quickly agrees to be Mr. November, yet we never learn what attracts him to Dennis. Yes, she's rather adorable in a flaky, distracted sort of way, though her noodle-headed ramblings--mixed with sure-handed chatter about minute things like hardware and pigeons--would surely send most bachelors in the opposite direction. The heart of the story seems to go missing, as screenwriter Herman Raucher introduces other kooky characters while inching us toward a romantic showdown between the protagonists (the film is preconceived to be a valentine without getting the ingredients right). Dennis and Newley (a curious yet effective screen match) approach the wafty material carefully, and both are attractive and likable, but Newley plays his lines for laughs while Dennis is perhaps too rigid or prim. Their performances improve in the second-half, but what exactly is the girl teaching this huffy businessman...to reconnect with his inner-child? Perhaps living 'free' makes for less inhibitions in the bedroom, but the movie is too coy and glossy to discuss sex in a grown-up manner. It's a valentine all right, and a little soft in the middle. **1/2 from ****