California Split

California Split(1974) - Robert Altman

The first Altman I saw was A Prarie Home Companion, the second was MASH These are still two of my least favorite Altman films, and it took a few years for me to give something else a try. After finally watching The Long Goodbye I totally understood what the big deal was. California Split was released after Long Goodbye and it’s not quite as good, but Elliot Gould plus Altman equal brilliance, and California Split is filled with great performances. What was most striking about this film to me was how it blends anxiety and tension with comedy. Some of the gambling scenes are extremely tense due to Altman’s focus on the player's emotions rather than the actual game. Altman’s sometimes frustrating style of having characters talk over each other really works to his advantage here and adds a lot to make you feel the high, lows, and general chaos of the habitual gambler. Sometimes this film feels a little TOO much like gambling, and as someone who hates gambling I found myself clenching my fists and screaming “for the love of God, just STOP!”. California Split remains one of Altman’s under-seen films and hasn’t even had a blu ray release, but I highly recommend checking this one out even if you aren’t very familiar with Altman’s other films.