When Robert Altman died everyone trotted out the usual films in tribute, MASH, Nashville, McCabe and Mrs Miller, A Prairie Home Companion. However there wasn't a whole lot mentioned about his late 1970's losers like, A Wedding, Images, Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Sitting Bull's History Lesson, Quintet, A Perfect Couple and HealtH.
HealtH, deals with a health food convention at a Florida hotel where two batty women are running for the presidency of the organization. The film features plenty of goofy characters running around in fresh fruit and vegetable costumes and is filmed in the improvisational style that Altman had the corner on for many years but was really death to his films. The parallels to a political convention are immediately obvious with the the film clearly commenting on this country's election process.
Altman had a good group of actors for this film, James Garner and Carol Burnett, who you wouldn't think would be entirely comfortable with this kind of comedy style are very funny. Garner is a cigarette smoking campaign manager for Lauren Bacall a health food nutcase. Carol Burnett a comedian probably best watched in small doses is an advisor to the President of the United States who specializes in protein. Burnett gets horny whenever she gets nervous and in spite of that silliness she's pretty funny.
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| Altman with his cast |
For yet another plot less Robert Altman film HealtH is funny, the satire is fairly obvious, but if you can get into the Altman sense of humor this is a pretty good time. I would certainly rate it over Nashville which always seemed extremely overrated and way too long.
105 minutes.
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