Taglines: The little black book that became a national bestseller.
Such Good Friends movie storyline. Julie Messinger (Dyan Cannon) has it made. She is a New York housewife whose husband, Richard (Laurence Luckinbill), is an editor for a prominent photography magazine. They have a small circle of friends, including well-meaning, but inept Dr. Timothy Spector, photographer Cal Whiting and Cal’s live-in girlfriend Miranda (Jennifer O’Neill). Julie’s mother spends her days getting pedicures and manicures, applying make-up and fake eye-lashes and buying expensive clothes, all the while criticizing her daughter for her looks and behavior.
When Richard goes into the hospital for a minor mole-removal surgery, Julie gets more than she bargained for. Richard suffers from complications and goes into a coma, supposedly caused by a rare surgical factor, and she gathers friends and family together, culminating in a hilarious “quasi-cocktail-party” scene in the blood donation center of the hospital. While dealing with red tape, hospital bureaucracy and clueless doctors, Julie discovers her husband’s “little black book,” which contains the names of her friends.
She confirms that her husband had been sleeping around and proceeds to make a fool out of him by getting it on with his male friends. When the complications get more ominous, guilt opens the door to her liberation as a woman. A scathingly funny examination of the dirty rich partying while one of their number lies on the brink of death.
Such Good Friends is a 1971 American comedy-drama film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Dyan Cannon, James Coco, Jennifer O’Neill, Ken Howard, Nina Foch, Laurence Luckinbill, Louise Lasser, Burgess Meredith, Sam Levene, Rita Gam, William Redfield, Nancy Guild. The screenplay by Esther Dale (a pseudonym for Elaine May) is based on the novel of the same title by Lois Gould.
Such Good Friends (1971)
Directed by: Otto Preminger
Starring: Dyan Cannon, James Coco, Jennifer O’Neill, Ken Howard, Nina Foch, Laurence Luckinbill, Louise Lasser, Burgess Meredith, Sam Levene, Rita Gam, William Redfield, Nancy Guild
Screenplay by: Esther Dale
Production Design by: Rouben Ter-Arutunian
Cinematography by: Gayne Rescher
Film Editing by: Harry Howard
Costume Design by: Hope Bryce, Ron Talsky
Makeup Department: Colleen Callaghan, Saul Meth
Music by: Thomas Z. Shepard
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: December 21, 1971
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