Customer Reviews

Man's Favorite Sport?

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A sort of throwback to the screwball comedies of the 1930's. It reminds one of the pairings of Cary Grant and Kate Hepburn such as Bringing Up Baby or The Philadelphia Story. By that as it may, I have watched this film several times over the years and I am repeatedly impressed with the level of comic intensity throughout the narrative. The plot line is simple enough: a fairly solid looking man has great success built on a secret. Rock Hudson has written a well-regarded book on fishing. The secret is Hudson has never been fishing in his life. Along comes Paula Prentiss who corners Hudson into participating in a fishing tournament at her outdoors resort. Of course, in the end Hudson wins the tournament and is exposed for the fraud he is. In spite of being proved to be a fake, Hudson comes out on top and falls for Prentiss as well.

As a story none of this is believable but that is never the point. What we have is a story in which silliness is the point. How we get from beginning to end is where the art is. There is no serious message here which is why this film is as light and appealing now as it was forty years ago. It is also startlingly clean as sex comedies go. There is no foul language and the most "flesh" one sees is a smidgen of panty from an unzipped dress.

We tend to think ourselves as a bit superior about these old movies in that we know Hudson was gay in real life. "Ha Ha Ha. People back then really believed that Hudson would have fallen for Prentiss. .Ha Ha Ha" Well stuff it. Hudson was an actor who wanted to make us laugh. It would be a real tragedy if all we do is laugh at him.

One of Howard Hawks' wonderful slapstick feel-good comedies, "Man's Favorite Sport?" is a great show that can be enjoyed by everyone... especially "expert" fishermen.

Rock Hudson is Roger Willoughby, a renowned fishing expert, who, unbeknownst to his friends, co-workers, or boss, has never cast a line in his life. One day, he crosses paths with Abigail Paige (Paula Prentiss), a sweetly annoying girl who has just badgered his boss into signing Roger up for an annual fishing tournament. Panicked, Hudson confesses his, uh, inadequate experience to the ever-resourceful Abigail. Abby decides to take Roger up to Lake Waccapugi where the tournament will take place and get him broken in. Along the way, Roger learns other things: how to start a motor boat without falling into a lake, how to hold a fish without cringing, and how to discover the girl of his life... with her driving him absolutely crazy!

An excellent supporting cast, a brilliant screenplay, and marvelous cinematography make "Man's Favorite Sport?" a great laugh-out-loud comedy for the whole family.

This is a classic example of the old saying "those that can't do - teach". Rock Hudson plays Roger Willoughby a writer portrayed to be an expert at fishing that has never been in his life. When he is entered in a fishing tournament as the resident expert, he is in a pickle. Paula Prentiss plays Abigail Page the unsuspecting one that got him into the tournament. As Roger learns to follow his own advice, it is laugh out loud funny.

Following some successful romantic comedy teamings with Doris Day ("Pillow Talk", "Lover Come Back") and Gina Lollobrigida ("Come September"), Rock Hudson found another delightful leading lady in Paula Prentiss. MAN'S FAVORITE SPORT? teams them with legendary screwball comedy director Howard Hawks.

MAN'S FAVORITE SPORT? recounts the adventures of angling 'expert' Roger Willoughby (Rock Hudson) who is invited to take part in a prestigious fishing tournament. However, Roger can't even throw a line, let alone catch a fish! When press agent Abigail Page (the delightful Paula Prentiss) finds out about Roger's problem, she decides to give him the ultimate crash course in fishing...

Initially, director Howard Hawks wanted to fashion this movie as a semi-remake of his 1938 classic "Bringing Up Baby", to the point where he even approached Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn about starring in it!

The film features a great musical score by Henry Mancini as well as fine supporting performances from Maria Perschy and Charlene Holt. The DVD includes the trailer. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc).

My wife loves this film and is a great fan of Rock Hudson. I have long admired Paula Prentiss, so I bought the film on VHS video for my wife three years ago. After watching it twice with my wife since, now that it is available on DVD, I soon plan to add it to our DVD library, as well. It is always great, fluffy and lightweight fun. It seems to improve with each and every viewing and just grows on you. The chemistry between Rock Hudson and Paula Prentiss is perfect and she is certainly very easy on the eyes. The supporting cast is also excellent. I can heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a pleasant and entertaining film.

Movies like this aren't made any more. If they were, they would fail in the box office. If you enjoy nostagic comedy like I do, or if you enjoy fish, fishing, camping, or anything about the outdoors, this is a movie you shouldn't miss. Inuendos are clean, funny, and appropriate.

A wonderful film, which seems innocuously fun at first viewing, grows in value upon subsequent viewings. You'd like this film if you enjoyed Hawk's screwball comedies, particularly Bringing Up Baby, from which it liberally borrows elements. You'll also like it if you're a fan of Rock Hudson's light romantic comedies. But you'll love it if you are a Paula Prentiss fan; she owns the picture, whereas Hudson, who is good too, can but only drift helplessly through the picture. This film is the only instance of Paula's full realization of the "Prentissian archetype"; both beautiful and lanky, elegant and awkward, intelligent and dizzy. While we get a taste of it in Where the Boys Are and The World of Henry Orient and What's New Pussycat, this is the only place to get the full-length treatment.

My husband and I saw this movie just when we were 17. Our third date together. Our favorite scene was when they kissed and the ancient trains collided. So whenever I wrote to my honey, I drew a picture on the envelope of the trains colliding. No one knew what it meant until just a few years ago when my sister-in-law and Mother-in-law saw the movie with us. Both of them shouted at once, so that is where the trains came from, all of us laughing. And by the way, we have now been married 43 years, so those trains were very impressive!!!

Rock Hudson and Paula Prentice give a great performance in this truly funny film. The various sight gags and situations that Rock Hudson gets into make this really an enjoyable adventure. The fact that he is an expert and never has fished in his life adds to the situation when he enters a fishing contest and somehow catches numerous fish but not with a fishing pole. The tension between Paula and Rock add to the action and supporting cast does a marvelous job as well. A true sleeper that will have you rolling in your chair.

The line, above, taken from the movie, reminds me that often I need to have things explained to me. Let me explain.
I am pretty sure, but not certain, that I saw this movie in high school, when it was released in 1964. At that time, it was simply (and simple) fun. The second time I watched, was MANY years later, out of nostalgia.
However, a strange thing happened as I grew older, continuing to watch it now and again. I became aware of, and appreciative of, how much of the humor in the dialog played against the supposed differences between the way men and women use words, and all that implies. I guess it's not very flattering, but I sometimes think that everything I know about women, I learned from this movie.
Some of the obvious strengths of the movie -- goofy physical comedy, Henry Mancini's droll music, and a fine supporting cast, including the pristine 'Lake Wakapoogee' -- brought me back to this movie a third time. Over time, however, I have come to appreciate the gentle, good-natured fun it pokes at men and women. Did the people involved with this movie intend it to be fun AND thought-provoking? I won't hazard a guess; I'll just be grateful for the joke, and the explanation.
Even if you do not think much of this review, watch the movie anyway, and if you are a curious kind of person that likes to think about things, watch it a second time, twenty years later! (That's a joke son....)