Today’s quick review: A Guide for the Married Man. Paul Manning (Walter Matthau) talks himself into cheating on his loving wife Ruth (Inger Stevens) after a few salacious conversations with his best friend, serial philanderer Ed Stander (Robert Morse). Ed tutors him in the finer points of cheating and getting away with it: the right woman, the right venue, and the right alibi. But as the big day approaches, Paul begins to get cold feet.
A Guide for the Married Man is a comedy about one man’s flirtation with adultery. Paul Manning has a doting wife and a gorgeous home, but the lure of other women—with a few choice words of encouragement from Ed—leads him astray. A Guide for the Married Man is a wry look at marriage, putting forth the tongue-in-cheek hypothesis that cheating is a natural part of it. The film’s often charming gags are offset by their one-note humor and flat delivery.
A Guide for the Married Man draws much of its comedy from Ed’s elaborate lessons. Ed calls upon a wealth of hard-won experience, preparing Paul for every possible detail of his affair. His lessons are peppered with anecdotes acted out by comedians like Lucille Ball, Sid Caeasr, Phil Silvers, and Terry-Thomas. The nuts and bolts of Ed’s schemes, the rationalizations involved, and Paul’s flip-flopping give the movie a solid framework for comedy.
However, the movie’s delivery leaves something to be desired. A Guide for the Married Man tends to coast on its ideas without making the extra effort to work them into full jokes. There are any number of setups, usually in the form of Ed’s anecdotes, but only a few of them actually pay off. The rest are either too lengthy for their own good or end in a predictable punchline. The movie also spends more than its share of time indulging Paul’s roving eye.
A Guide for the Married Man holds some potential for fans of classic comedies, but it’s missing the sharp humor and careful tonal balance that mark the best ones from its era. It does have some clever gags and a few jokes that can catch the viewer by surprise; those interested in a light, old-fashioned look at the ironies of marriage may want to give it a shot. Those hoping for bigger laughs or a more balanced perspective on marriage will want to pass.
For a musical comedy starring Robert Morse with similar tongue-in-cheek humor, try How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. For a classic comedy with a farcical take on marriage, try How to Murder Your Wife. For one about a loving couple in stormy waters, try Adam’s Rib.
6.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for a promising setup with mixed follow-through.