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Shampoo By Miles Bethany
For those who consider Bulworth to be a savage and unprecedented
political send-up, it's worth revisiting Warren Beatty's first, and best,
attempt at outrageous social criticism. Mercilessly exposing the essential
vacuity of both the sexual revolution and conservative alarmism over
cultural permissiveness, Shampoo remains the best movie ever made
about Nixon's America, and one of the very best about the tragic and
disappointing conclusion to the 1960s. Set on the eve of the 1968
presidential election that elevated Nixon to the Oval Office, Beatty's
uproarious satire follows a hairdressing Lothario (played by Mr. You're So
Vain himself) in and out of the beds of several women, including the wife
of a wealthy businessman, his mistress, and his young daughter (Carrie
Fisher, in her first screen role). Juxtaposing tropes from Restoration
comedy with Southern California dialogue and a healthy, hilarious dash of
running commentary from election returns, Beatty's ruthless awareness
cuts through the film like a scalpel. The performances are uniformly
excellent and surprisingly ego-free; though Jack Warden's portrayal of
Lester, the twice-cuckolded businessman, stands out as a model of
sensitive, nuanced parodic acting. Released in 1975 during the messy
cleanup at the conclusion of the Watergate
era, Shampoo neatly bookends the Nixon presidency, and
concludes with the frightening finality of an iron door slamming on a
cell. Commended for including the live version of Jefferson Airplane's Plastic
Fantastic Lover.
Academy Awards
Shampoo received an Academy
Award for Supporting Actress (Lee Grant). Shampoo also
received Academy Awards nominations for
Supporting Actor (Jack Warden), Writing (Best Original Screenplay; Robert
Towne, Warren Beatty), and Art Direction/Set Decoration (Richard Sylbert -
Art Direction, W. Stewart Campbell - Art Direction, George Gaines - Set
Decoration). |
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