Diagonaldi
Very well executed
Artivels
Undescribable Perfection
Glimmerubro
It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.
Art Vandelay
There is nothing interesting going on, in what is basically a two-person, one-set play.
I'm not sure I fault either Taylor or Beatty. The Barrymores couldn't have salvaged this one.
There's simply no reason to get invested in either character. In the (fake) Las Vegas setting. The dull camera work. And the farcically bad score - surely Jarre's worst of all time. I'd like to think he sub-contracted it to an intern.
The play lasted 16 performances before folding. I'd be shocked if this film last 16 nights in the theatre.
Jim O'Malley (Kopelson-Group)
Seeing "The Only Game In Town" for the first time forty odd years after it was made is a very special treat for anyone who loves film and film history. This was going to be George Steven's last film. A great director, a pioneer. Here he's directing Elizabeth Taylor for the third time, after "A Place In The Sun" and "Giant". That alone makes "The Only Game In Town" a collector's piece. Elizabeth Taylor clearly trusted George Stevens completely and for good reason. She is spectacular. Every close up is like a personal, private experience. Warren Beatty is perfect here and he turned down "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" to work with George Stevens. Good for him. A delicious treat.
kiddhowe
Fran Walker the lead character of this film faces the choice many people face-- I've invested time and hope in a relationship, is it the right one for me? Fran struggles with making the best choice for a happy and rewarding life. She's a bit of a ditz but likable. Elizabeth Taylor brings out the anxiety that Fran feels about her life yet shows us the willingness Fran has to take a chance to make a change.Warren Beatty as Joe Grady did a credible job of helping us like an immature man who was learning to grow-up.The filming of this picture in France was one of its drawbacks. The film's ambiance would have been better filmed on location in Las Vegas.All in all The Only Game in Town is worth a watch on a Sunday afternoon or a late night bowl of popcorn.
mg1119
This is a pretty bad movie, but hard to look away from the pretty people inhabiting it. Warren Beatty was unbelievably gorgeous in his younger days. He also was a surprisingly effective and poignant actor. His performance elevates an otherwise pedestrian movie. It really is on par with a television movie, down to the cheesy soundtrack music. Elizabeth Taylor is incredibly miscast. She is lovely to look at, though rather old-looking, for some reason. She couldn't have been more than five years older than Beatty, but looks at least ten years his senior, in spite of being filmed in soft focus. She also is quite zaftig, though it's refreshing in light of the anorexic actresses one sees now. She's totally unbelievable as a showgirl. The average showgirl is tall and slender; the tiny, curvaceous Ms. Taylor would never have even gotten an audition. She also phones in her performance, which doesn't help her rather poorly-drawn character. The film is a series of relationship and situational cliches. You can predict the dialogue before it's spoken. You have to wonder, too, why a stalwart such as George Stevens would choose such a flaccid script as his final project. Someone must have waved a lot of money under these big names' noses to get this made. It's a shame to waste such directing and acting talent. But if you start watching, you probably won't be able to take your eyes off it. They don't make beauties like Beatty and Taylor in Hollywood anymore, at least with as much charisma to go with the looks.
