Husbands
Directed by John Cassavetes
Written by John Cassavetes
1970/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel
Harry: Gus, Archie, look what I did to that phone booth. I kicked the hell out of it. Yeah. Like I’ve been telling my wife for years. Aside from sex, and she’s very good at it, God damn it, I like you guys better. I really do. Now, who the hell else could put up with me, huh? I’m a jerk, I know it. So, let’s go home and get it over with.
I love me some John Cassavetes but I have mixed feelings about this one.
Four married men in their thirties are as close as can be. Â One of their number dies. Â After the funeral, Harry (Ben Gazzara), Archie (Peter Falk) and Gus (Cassavetes) decide to go on an epic bender. Â They end up at a bar where they have a singing contest with other very drunk patrons. Â This and the after effects last until morning. Â All face going home to get ready for work. Â Harry’s long-suffering wife is really not happy to see him and a physical fight ensues. Â Archie and Gus try to put Harry back together again mentally.
Harry decides the answer to all his problems is a trip to London. Â He talks the other two (who still have not checked in with their wives) into joining him. Â The three go to a casino where they proceed to pick up three women. Â They take these back to their hotels where they pair off and reunite in the morning. Â All this stuff is accompanied by raw emotion as only Cassavetes can write it.
I might have liked this more if I were a man. Surely I could never be married to any one of these three bad boys. Â Cassavetes idea of “freedom” is also different than mine. Â There’s something about him that is on my wavelength however and I’m glad I saw it. Â It’s not something I will be coming back to.
Gena Rowlands has a tiny dialogue-free appearance as Gus’s wife in a flashback in the beginning.  Their children appear at the end when Gus comes home with his tail between his legs.
