In her Greenwich Village apartment, bubbly blonde Goldie Hawn (as Toni Simmons) attempts suicide by gas, but is saved by writer Rick Lenz (as Igor Sullivan). Looking sexy in her pink bed clothing, the 21-year-old Ms. Hawn is the girlfriend of middle-aged dentist Walter Matthau (as Julian Winston). To avoid marriage, Mr. Matthau has told Hawn he has a wife and three children. When Matthau decides to wed Hawn after all, he asks his beautiful but straight-laced nurse Ingrid Bergman (as Stephanie Dickinson) to pose as the wife he wants to divorce. To give the story more credence, Ms. Bergman looses up by dating actor Jack Weston (as Harvey Greenfield) and diplomat Vito Scotti (as Arturo Sanchez)... Filmmaker M.J. Frankovich and the studio executives took a chance on this one, and produced chance art. Director Gene Saks, comic actor Walter Matthau and the crew are dependable - but the decision to cast ditsy "Laugh-In" TV star Hawn and golden age drama diva Bergman in the co-starring roles had to make some people doing a double take. But Hawn proved she could impersonate a character from the inside out; Bergman went the Garbo route, especially emulating the actress' comic dance from her final film as "She Hangs Out" (the other songs are "To Sir, with Love" and "I'm a Believer"). Writers Burrows and Diamond wittily capture the swinging sixties' sexy sophistication, and Mr. Saks takes it off the stage. ********* Cactus Flower (12/16/69) Gene Saks ~ Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn, Rick Lenz

I am surprised by the relatively low rating this film has. It is a screwball comedy & romance film rolled together by someone besides Billy Wilder but it does a really good job & even won an Oscar. It is Ingrid Bergman's first film in the US since the 1950's & even though she is no longer the young bombshell she was in her early films, she brings off a difficult role quite handsomely. This film proves she had multiple talents beyond her good looks. Goldie Hawn who won an Oscar in this, her first film, as supporting actress is very good as the modern sophisticated yet quirky latest mistress to Dentist playboy, love them & leave them Walter Mathaw. Goldie is delightful to all the senses in this role which with a great cast set her up as a slam dunk for this early career award. This film is not real deep, but is a gem that has stood the test of time very well. Not sure why it's average is so low as I give it a solid 8.

This movie rarely gets notice, and indeed, it is no classic. But it has some truly splendid moments, supplied mostly by the blonde and bubbly Goldie Hawn who won a much deserved Academy Award. The film, based on a Broadway play, deals with a neurotic dentist(Walter Matthau) who lies to his kooky girlfriend(Miss Hawn) by telling her that he's married. When Matthau finally falls head over heels for Hawn, he tells her that he intends to divorce his wife and pops the question to her. Feeling that she caused their break-up, Hawn then demands to meet his wife so she can straighten things out with her. Matthau then gets his prim and proper assistant(Ingrid Bergman) to play the part of his "wife", but that's only the beginning of this crazy comedy. Matthau is brilliant as usual, and Bergman also does well with her role, despite being thoroughly miscast(the sexy and vibrant Miss Bergman as a drab, spinsterish dental assistant, PLEASE!). But the film belongs to Goldie who, even at this early stage in her career, fully displays her star power.

I missed this movie when it first came out because it sounded patronising and an affront to Bergman's dignity. I stumbled across it by chance on cable and was instantly hooked. The three leads are wonderful, the dialogue is witty, but does the band know any other number than "I'm a Believer?" It reminds me of those brief years when the entertainment industry scrambled onto the teen culture bandwagon and fell off the other side. Some of the dialogue is hilariously dated, mostly the due to the scriptwriters attempts to depict "permissiveness" - remember that? I love the scene where Hawn and Bergman dance together, and Toni's shabby flat. Igor is adorable too. xxxx

Ingrid Bergman must have experienced a strong sense of deja vu when she shot this movie about a man who pretends to be married so that he doesn't have to fear any of his many girlfriends thinking altar; in Indiscreet a few years earlier she herself had been fooled by Cary Grant's use of this same ploy (which was also based on a stage play, Kind Sir, by Garson Kanin) and here she is persuaded by philanderer Walter Mattheau to pose as his wife so that his latest mistress, Goldie Hawn, to whom he has proposed marriage, can ask for the blessing of the soon-to-be discarded wife. This is one of those plots where you know from the moment the premise is stated exactly what will happen ninety minutes later so that the enjoyment is in the journey from A to Z. It's Bergman's movie all the way, Mattheau was never going to be either as polished as Grant or as hip as Sinatra who played similar roles in The Tender Trap and Come Blow Your Horn yet he's too good an actor not to accomplish ninety per cent of the part. Goldie Hawn is far too precious and OTT as the lovable kook but Jack Weston scores as the seedy friend/patient. Without Bergman it would be a lot less charming, with her it's a joy.

CACTUS FLOWER(1969)**1/2 with ingrid bergman, and goldie hawn. I didn't enjoy this as much as i thought. There were some boring scenes, and some unfunny jokes. but im not saying that i or u might not enjoy it. I just thought i'd like it better. PG; profaintity.

I was very surprised to learn that Goldie Hawn won an Oscar for this film. She seemed very lifeless and completely schooled by the 54(!) year old Bergman in the scenes where they are side by side. If it had been written today, I think that Bergman and the young man Ivan would have wound up together (Ingrid is so much hotter than Goldie...) and the two self-absorbed characters played by Matthau and Hawn would be left out in the cold. But it was written at the end of 60's and feels like Plaza Suite or Barefoot in the Park. However, Matthau's one-liners, Hawn's innocence and Bergman's classy performance make this quite pleasant to watch.

Walter Matthau is wonderful as the "philandering" dentist Dr. Julian Winston whose frequent fibs to girlfriend Goldie provide textbook proof of the dangers of lying. Goldie Hawn's touching kook Toni Simmons certainly deserved to win her Oscar. Ingrid Bergman's work as the stiff-as-starch nurse Stephanie is also touching to watch as she comes out of her shell, slowly and nervously. This is a great movie to watch in the springtime, or any time for that matter. It's very underrated; I never heard about it until I found it in the video store, and what a find!

I've been playing this movie incessantly this month, and I just love it. I was around in the 60s (oh dear), so it is nostalgic in one sense. However, it's the funny premise, the snappy dialogue and the great performances that keep me watching. Dr. Winston's reactions to Stephanie at the end of the movie are priceless. (I'd be more specific, but don't want to spoil it for anyone.) Who other than Matthau can play a man not entirely on the up-and-up and yet have us still love him? As for Bergman's costumes, I think she looks as dowdy as she's supposed to. I think "she was robbed" the one time that she appears in an evening gown. It doesn't suit her at all, which is too bad. I never liked it when I first saw it on her and I still don't. Goldie won an Oscar for her role. People thought it was a groundbreaking performance at the time, and yet it's the one performance that I don't love as much as the others. She does have the right amount of sweetness and likability, however, which is important for this role. And I agree - I thought Rick Lenz was great in it and it's too bad that his movie career didn't take off after this. I hope more people watch this movie ... they'll love it!

Everyone told me to see "Cactus Flower," and I finally did. What a wonderful movie -- the perfect pick-me-up for a Sunday night/dreading Monday morning. Matthau and Hawn were good, but Ingrid Bergman really made this movie -- after all, it was really about her. The truly great actors can do anything, and Miss Bergman proves it. She shows us -- in the course of one film -- a range few people display in their entire career. The scene in the dance club was as hysterical as it was touching. Even as the film drew to its obvious conclusion, I found myself cheering for Miss Dickinson as if she were the Boston Red Sox. Thankfully, she made out (no pun intended) much better. ;)