California Split
Director: Robert Altman
Year Released: 1974
Rating: 2.0
Formless study of gambling addiction and Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow - George Segal is only really happy when he's winning, but when it's over there's a letdown. While this insight is very true, the movie is shot in typical AltmanScope, where characters get lost in the frame, talk over each other and any kind of structured plot is neglected - worse yet, Altman allows Elliot Gould to chew up the scenery (the man never stops talking - he's the extrovert to Segal's introvert). Those who embrace Nashville as one of the director's greatest achievements are more likely to find merit in this particular work than I do.
