Maggie Smith And Michael Caine In California Suite (1978)

I remember seeing this move in the theater when I was in high school. Turns out Michael Caine's character was gay and in a marriage of convenience with Maggie's character.

I also remember being surprised that Maggie Smith got an Oscar for this role, when it clearly was one of her least memorable.

Methinks the Academy wanted to do a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" that year. "Hey! We'll give Maggie the Oscar for this silly role about an actress who can't believe she got an Oscar nomination for a silly role! Ain't it comically ironic?"

I think it's because the other three segments were simply awful. These two saved the movie. My favorite bit of trivia is that Smith and Caine attended the previous year's ceremony together so that shots of Sidney and Diana at the Oscars could be incorporated into CS.

R2- That's interesting.

I just remember this film opening to terrible reviews. I’ve never even seen it - or maybe I did on cable. And it was terrible.

And she won the Oscar. I’m sure she thought that was a big joke.

R4- I recently read the original December 1978 NYT review and overall they liked the movie. Not a surprise they loved the Maggie Smith/Michael Caine story best and then the Jane Fonda/Alan Alda story. The other two not much especially the black couples. I agree with their review except I thought the Walter Matthau/Elaine May story was sitcom crap and the black couples story was average.

I’m guessing Maureen Stapleton came close to beating Smith for the Oscar. But it may have boiled down more voters seeing CS vs. Interiors, and how respected Smith was as a British actress that gave her the edge. Dyan Cannon won the supporting actress globe, but she’s done better films than Heaven Can Wait, so a distant third.

She won because it was an excellent comedic performance, and Hollywood—being Hollywood—thought that she was playing against type. As far as the industry cared at the time, she was a Thespian!…even if her actual talent went beyond mere drama.

Eggs Benedict please.

It was the voters appreciating a lavender marriage.

I knew someone who directed a stage performance of the Caine and Smith scenes. I could practically recite the lines myself I knew the film so well. Naturally his actors were not as good as Michael and Maggie.

I asked for a simple rinse and the ditzy queen’s given me CRAYON!

How spreadably cozy.

"Tell me - did he happen to carve his phone number in the butter patty for you?"

SUCH a delight

I also saw this as a kid, on HBO, and thought it was okay but not great. But then in general, I didn't get the supposed brilliance of Neil Simon.

But yes, Maggie and Michael's scenes were by far the best.

Simon reportedly wrote the segment when he saw Maggie Smith lose the Oscar to Liza Minnelli. Pauline Kael, never a fan of Simon, noted that we were denied seeing Diana lose and that's the catalyst of the entire story.

She wasn’t there the night Lisha won.

Maggie was in England working, and didn't even think she stood a chance in winning.

Here’s Maggie presenting John Mills’ Oscar, the year after she won. She was performing next door at the Ahmanson, and they had her present the first award of the night rather than Best Actor so she could make her curtain.

I love that they filmed the oscar scenes at the actual oscars, instead of doing a mockup of it for the movie.

They presented that night as well on the actual show.

In Maggie’s day—these video clips—the Oscars were always at the Dorothy Chandler and always on a Monday night.

Is it streaming anywhere? I remember this movie as a kid but never watched it.

Just tell me who won the award, you A-H!

I find Diana's discreet line quite shocking for Neil Simon.

Discreet?! You did everything but lick his artichoke!

R11 the funniest part of that scene is how Diana looks in the mirror and asks -

What is wrong with my hair?!