XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

jarrodmcdonald-1 Otto Preminger's later films are an acquired taste. But this one, while completely outrageous, seems to be one of his better efforts.Some of the more memorable scenes: Burgess Meredith walking around nude at a cocktail party (!); Ken Howard impotent while making love to Dyan Cannon; Cannon attempting to seduce obese James Coco who is wearing a girdle (!); and Cannon finding her husband's black book with notes about sex with other women. Despite its unusualness, SUCH GOOD FRIENDS is an enjoyable picture to watch because it's something you don't have to take seriously. It is obviously a black comedy and the first few minutes establish the mood perfectly. It does become a bit of a maudlin soap opera where Cannon's character is figuring out her husband's infidelities and trying to decide if she still loves the guy or not. But the melodramatic aspects are definitely overshadowed by the satirical look at urban mores that Preminger presents.

BachlorinParadise I'm a big fan of the beautiful, sexy, and talented Dyan Cannon. I saw this film when it first came out in 1971 and thought it was funny, sexy, well-acted, and entertaining. Well, I just saw this movie today, after some 35 years and it hasn't aged well. The movie about a medical mishap and extra-marital affairs is now old news. The plot no longer has the kick it had back in 1971. There are some bright spots that are still shinny; an all-star cast of veteran actors, the sexy Miss Cannon and the equally attractive Jennifer O'Neal, and one very humor "sex" scene. Aside from that, the movie is slow moving and somewhat dull. The plot is depressing, and the ending makes little or no sense. So, unless you're a big fan of Dyan Cannon or Jennifer O'Neal, I'd forget about Such Good Friends.

JasparLamarCrabb Not great, but certainly among the best of director Otto Preminger's later films, SUCH GOOD FRIENDS benefits greatly from a clever screenplay written by Elaine May. Dyan Cannon checks husband Laurence Luckinbill into the hospital to have a mole removed and before he's "released," she finds out way too much about his extramarital dalliances --- what she finds out isn't pleasant. Preminger, whose films usually feature women without virtues, gives Cannon the rare opportunity to carry a film on her own and she's quite possibly perfect! She slowly realizes that her husband is rotten to the core. She's also supplied with a lot of bitchy one-liners by May. The supporting cast is top flight: Nina Foch, Ken Howard, James Coco and Jennifer O'Neill. Also, if you've ever wanted to see Burgess Meredith in the buff, here's your chance.

moonspinner55 A sharp, deadpan-hilarious dark comedy which never found its audience, probably because there are so many different targets set up by the material: modern marriage, adultery, doctors, hospitals, the literary world, sexual fantasies, sexual positions, Jewishness, lesbian experimentation, revenge (maybe feminist revenge) and, of course, the hard work of dying--which brings everything full circle by the finale. Director Otto Preminger chases after the pungent satire in Elaine May's script (under a pseudonym) in every direction, and yet the film doesn't feel scattershot; it is a rude, wicked rose in constant bloom. The wife of a celebrated writer and magazine editor in New York City finds out her husband's been cheating on her within their circle of friends--and this discovery comes while he's in the hospital dying after having had a mole removed! Dyan Cannon delivers one of her best performances; she's glib, bitter, sexy and naughty, which helps viewers overlook the fact the tone of the movie sometimes has an icy pallor. One of Pauline Kael's complaints was that Cannon's character goes after men without seeing the irony of her actions--that she has no self-respect--and this in fact may be true. We never learn where the wife's priorities lie; she's a good mother to her boys, she's a good listener when her friends come around to bitch, but she's too encompassed in thoughts of the past or in trying to stay strong to figure out how being cheated on really makes her feel. Preminger gets fine performances out of a colorful cast, and there are big laughs in the film, but cutting-edge comedies can also cut too deeply without nimble handling. Preminger isn't very careful, but that may be intentional. ***1/2 from ****