Only Two Can Play (1962)

The Worst Film Ever

Fantastic!

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

This movie is so dated that to watch it nowadays gives you the feeling of watching an early movie, "A Trip to the Moon" --1902-- for example.But "A Trip to the Moon" can be accepted if we place our mind at that time, with that technology, etc. as a museum piece, a curiosity. Not this movie though, where from the initial 1950s title the whole thing is redolent of naphthalene, and that feeling goes on with a sudden close up of Peter Seller (as funny as yesterday morning flat and cold soufflé) and it goes on in a very Kingsley Amis (the author of this book) way, a way as old fashioned as the treatment for this movie.What a turkey! Peter Sellers is totally miscast for this rol, because if we consider that the character, according to the females reaction when seeing him, was an instant turn on, he, obviously, doesn't fit the rol by a long shot (a Sean Connery was needed here).He was SO blah! and the women that were supposed to be bombshells, were totally ruined with that 1950s look --exagerated (ridiculous) pointed bust, waists cinched to death and beehive hairdos-- the only exception being Virginia Maskell (Sellers wife in the movie) a lovely, natural beauty, fortunately without all that paraphernalia that was the last cry for the fashion of that time. Everything is old fashion in this movie, the situations (many of them pathetic), the pacing, the editing, the camera work, the acting. Some comments mentioned "the humor"... I'm flabbergasted... was there humor in this movie? I totally missed it. I don't get it, English movies are usually exceptionally good, but this one in particular is impossibly bad, as bad as Mr. Amis literature.

'Only Two Can Play' is my all-time favourite Peter Sellers picture. As well as being wonderfully funny, it has the added appeal for me of being partly filmed on locations I know well - they are just up the road from where I live! Based on Kingsley Amis' book 'That Uncertain Feeling', it was brought to the screen by writer Bryan Forbes and the formidable producer/director team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat. The story goes that Sellers did not want the role of 'John Lewis' as he felt incapable of reproducing a Welsh accent. Kenneth Griffith, one of his co-stars, took him into a Swansea pub and, after listening to the local men for a short while, Peter knew enough to get the accent dead right. As chief librarian in the town of Aberdarcy, Lewis is dissatisfied with his lot in life, and who wouldn't be - his wife Jean ( Virginia Maskell ) is too tired for sex, the kids ( particularly Gwyneth, who has an imaginary friend she calls 'Balk' ) nag him constantly, the plumbing in their lodgings does not work, the landlady is a right old gossip, the bus does not wait for him in the mornings, and so on. He glances lustily at the pretty women who come his way looking for books. He is ripe for a torrid affair, and Liz Gruffydd-Williams ( Mai Zetterling ) the wife of a local big-wig, seems attracted to him, as well as willing to help him secure a better job.Their attempts at love making are amongst the funniest scenes ever put on film, almost Clouseau-like in fact. At one point, they caress each other in a car in a field at night, but their passion dies when a cow peers through the window. When Liz' husband is away, she invites John to her house, but he returns unexpectedly, and John tries to sneak off, only to bump into their pompous butler ( the wonderful John Le Mesurier ). The French accent John uses would later be deployed by Sellers in 'The Pink Panther' ( 1964 ) and its sequels. Sellers gets the Welsh angry young man down to a tee, and the rest of the cast are impressive too, particularly Maskell ( whom Sellers did not get on at all with ) as Jean. Zetterling seems to have spent much of her career playing foreign spies in trench-coats, but here she took it off ( along with everything else! ). Griffith is a riot as John's best friend 'Ieuan', who seems to be dead and does not know it. He too is a bit of a social climber. In one of the best scenes, he plays 'Dai Death' in an amateur stage play, only to accidentally burn down the theatre! Having sat through 'Under Milk Wood' numerous times whilst at school, how marvellous it is to see Dylan Thomas' work parodied as 'Bowen Thomas - Tailor Of Llandilo'. "What a fabulous title!", says John, sarcastically. "Its a wonder nobody's thought of it before. Is it a comedy is it?". Richard Attenborough, who acted with Sellers in 'Private's Progress' and 'I'm Sll Right Jack', gives a nicely judged performance as supercilious Welsh playwright Gareth Probert.There's also Graham Stark as a pervert searching for dirty books in the library, John Arnatt as 'Bill', and Raymond Huntley as Liz' husband 'Vernon'. An uncredited Meg Wynn Owen, Talfryn Thomas and Desmond 'Q' Llewelyn are also around. But its Sellers who makes the film a treat to watch. There are similarities between 'Only Two Can Play' and the kitchen sink drama 'Room At The Top' ( 1959 ) which starred Laurence Harvey as 'Joe Lampton', a frustrated Northern working class provincial hero who has an affair with a foreign temptress ( Simone Signoret ). Like 'Billy Liar' ( 1963 ), you can watch this film on two levels - as a comedy, and as a social document of life in Wales at that time. Nice music by Richard Rodney Bennett too!Funniest moment? There are many, but for me its the sight of John trying to carry Liz into the bedroom and handle two cigarettes at the same time.If you love early '60's British film comedies, you must see 'Only Two Can Play'. It was one of Sellers' last great films, made just before he went to Hollywood and squandered his talents on tenth-rate junk.

While there are some ironic twists here and there, this Peter Sellers film is definitely NOT a comedy. And while it is interesting (particularly at the end), it's a movie that is just OK--not one you should rush out to see.Sellers plays a librarian who is both looking for a promotion and longs for an affair. In many ways, the film is like a Welsh version of THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH, as Sellers is a family man who seems to want to cheat on his nice wife more to prove he's "still got it" than any other reason. Throughout the film, he pursues the rather easy to get Liz, the wife of a local big-wig. I was frankly quite turned off by this because it wasn't all that funny and it was really hard to care at all about Sellers--he was behaving like a real jerk.Fortunately, as the movie continues, it fortunately begins to show a bit more depth--with a deeper message other than "horny Sellers wants to get in Liz's knickers". This leads to a dandy climax (no pun intended) which tends to make watching the rest of the film worth while.Overall, if you are looking for a film like DR. STRANGELOVE, THE MOUSE THAT ROARED, THE PINK PANTHER or BEING THERE, then you'll be very disappointed. Without these high expectations, you'll probably have an easier time connecting to the film.

I saw the film again quite recently and, despite its age it still cracks me up. It must have been difficult for Sellers to contain his enthusiasm playing Lewis, but he manages an appropriately subdued character, bubbling under with sardonic humour and sarcasm. His wonderful treatment of his co-worker, Jenkins, is beautifully sarcastic, yet well meaning, whilst his loathing of Probert is obvious but a little understated. The slightly obvious ploy of the theatre fire whilst he is otherwise engaged, followed by his newspaper criticism next day, still remains hysterically funny. This is one of Sellers best outings, despite the many excellent films he made during his sadly curtailed life.