Altman, in his heyday, produced the perfect comedy
with California Split. Similar in style to the previous
year's The Long Goodbye, the film never comes out and
directly admits its a comedy as a less subtle craftsman would
have it do, instead always remaining just under the surface,
though not deep enough that I didn't find myself laughing out
loud, receiving strange looks from fellow audience members during
the funniest moments.
The film follows two gamblers, men who bet on
anything and everything without a second thought, as they meet,
become friends and partners, and take the risk of a lifetime.
When out-of-luck poker player Bill Denny (George Segal) deals
a much-needed Joker to fun-loving Charlie Waters (Elliott Gould)
in a random card game, a beautiful friendship is born. As if
the two are made for one another, they spend their time together,
skipping work to bet on horses, cards, boxing matches and anything
else they can think of. After a run of bad luck and an angry
bookie make Bill rethink his habits and lifestyle and in a last-ditch
act of desperation, the two head to Reno for the poker game
of their lives.
Always an incredible actor, Elliott Gould is at
his best in California Split. Perhaps the role was
made for him, or maybe he made the role his own. Either way,
it's hard not to have a good time simply watching him move freely
from one prank and scam to the next, never letting anything
get him down. He's adds the lightness to the film to counteract
George Segal's more serious performance as Bill. Not that Segal
doesn't have his share of laughs, but Gould outdoes his wry
wit of Long Goodbye, double or nothing. Throughout
the film I found myself shaking my head and imagining how much
fun it must have been to work on this set, as the pair exudes
glee when they're wrapped up in their antics. At the same time,
as the stakes get higher, and their luck seems to have abandoned
them, both do a great job of showing the darkness always lurking
under the thrill of gambling, reminding the audience that they're
always skating on thin ice.
One thing I really liked about the movie is that
it doesn't preach at you. One would expect a movie about gambling,
and dealing with the danger of living a lifestyle like this,
to make some moral statement. Altman breaks from the convention
and defies expectation, something he could always be counted
on to do. At the close of the film (I won't way what the result
of the Reno trip are for Bill and Charlie) there's no denouement.
It just ends. Not that Altman's the first person to use this
technique, he just puts it to use in a movie one would never
expect it to be used in.
Perhaps California Split is overlooked
because it came out in the midst of M*A*S*H, Nashville,
McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and Thieves Like Us.
And maybe it was a bigger hit in 1974 than it is now. In any
case, it's an intelligent, subtle, and absolutely hilarious
film that any artist, gambler or comedian should place all their
chips on.
