SHAMPOO

year: 1975
cast: Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Jack Warden
rating: ***1/2

Warren Beatty plays a womanizing hairdresser who goes from woman to woman, to woman to woman to woman, to woman. Basically, Warren is playing himself but as a hairdresser. Hal Ashby lets things happen on their own accord in his usual Altmanesque manner, and great classic rock tunes play without reason or purpose, in the usual Ashbyesque manner. Beatty has some nice scenes with scene-stealer (and the most interesting character) Jack Warden as a millionaire Beatty needs for a loan, only he's screwing his girlfriend... And to really feel the complete overall effect you MUST wait for the very, very end. The FINAL shot sums up a life of the gigalo, a character standing ALL ALONE. It's a remarkable closing image and makes you look back on the rest of the film with more depth and clarity.

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