It takes a good sense of humor and a lot of honesty to admit that the problem in the world isn't mayo or female, but humanity in general, and this film takes a hysterical look at the issues that befall everyone regardless of gender. Jack Lemmon has written a book (the title of the movie) that has stirred up some controversy, and indeed, he is a man with a lot of problems. It's by an ironic coincidence that he meets Barbara Harris at a meeting with women discussing his book and they end up in a wacky relationship that results in marriage, made even wackier by the sudden arrival of her ex-husband, Jason Robards. No sooner has the jealousy subsided than the two men find themselves on the same side, having a wacky fantasy fight with animated figures from Lemmon's book, but by this time, the children from Harris and Robards' marriage have come to love Lemmon as if he was their father, probably because he's just an immature little boy in a grown man's body, and a wacky new playmate.
Not only are the three leads amazing, 70's sitcom teen Lisa Gerritson ( "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "Phyllis") is quite memorable as the oldest child from the first marriage, sort of like the Greek chorus of the film, and like she was as Cloris Leachman's daughter, much smarter than the adults. This is certainly very dated in modern terms, but it is such a wacky premise that it becomes hard to dismiss for certain attitudes it presents. Lemmon, whose character is completely blind without his glasses, has several hysterical scenes where he has to be rescued because of that, usually by Harris. Fans of the original "Freaky Friday" willl see similarities in her performance, and it's obvious that someone saw this and thought that you would be perfect as Jodie Foster's mother. She even gets to sing, reminding audiences that she was a talented Tony winning Broadway musical star.
Like many films of the '70s, this has some great location footage in Manhattan, and the pacing is very fast, making it seem much shorter than it's near two hour running time. Lemmon, as the narrator, seems destined in the opening to steal the film because of his often misguided wit, but with Harris quickly introduced and Robards coming in later, this obviously will become a great ensemble piece where the kids are amusing and not cloying and in a smaller role, Herb Edelman ("Golden Girls") gets some good material as well. Of all the forgotten comedies of the '70s (many of which are indeed forgettable), this is perhaps one of the most underrated and most deserving a rediscovery, with the script and direction by Melville Shavelson top notch. There's a very funny cameo at the beginning by a well-known therapist, obviously spoofing her image and having a lot of fun. Lemmon, who got great acclaim the same year for the comedy "Avanti", and would win his second Oscar the following year, is at the top of his game, and Harris shows that she can be a fun wacky screen comic to rival that other Barbara, the one that tossed an a out of that first name and got to do one of Harris's Broadway musical roles on screen.
