California Suite

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California Suite

PG

1978

1h 43m

Comedy

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Popcornmeter

50%

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28 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Four comedic scenarios play out at a hotel in this adaptation of the Neil Simon play. Divorced couple Hannah (Jane Fonda) and Bill (Alan Alda) argue over custody of their daughter; an actress (Maggie Smith) frets over her Oscar nomination as her gay husband (Michael Caine) comes out of the closet; a businessman (Walter Matthau) finds a comatose prostitute in his bed, and two competitive doctors (Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby) settle their differences with a free-for-all tennis game.

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Critics Consensus

Maggie Smith's acidic turn is the standout in this stacked ensemble, but broad characterizations and an unsure tone make for a disappointingly uneven adaptation of Neil Simon's episodic play.

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Variety Staff

Variety

10/03/2007

Less than successful, veering from poignant emotionalism to broad slapstick in sudden shifts.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

10/03/2007

Means middle-class angst covered with a thin veneer of snappy one-liners and presented in the most anonymous directorial style imaginable.

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David Pirie

Time Out

06/24/2006

Quick and varied comedy, highly suited to Neil Simon's machine-gun gag-writing.

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George Anderson

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

07/08/2025

B

Uneven but entertaining Neil Simon comedy dealing with five couples a the Beverly Hills Hotel. Maggie Smith is the best thing in the film.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

06/19/2024

2/5

…Michael Caine and Maggie Smith shine, but there’s an archness to Neil Simon’s writing that makes some of California Suite hard to watch; there’s a vanilla feel to the characters that makes these movies very much of their time rather than for the ages….

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Melvin Frankel

Gay Community News (Boston)

08/19/2022

California Suite gets stranded midway between hard social commentary and the aim to please those [Simon]'s criticizing.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 06/23/2025

You have an amazing cast ensemble from a much earlier time with signature energies as they try to turn around a questionably aimless screenplay, even though each story has a strong scene till realizing that Neil Simon ran out of narrative fuel. (B-)

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Anny T

@RT10454610 10/14/2024

One of the worst films I've sat through. The cast are doing their best with completely unbelievable dialogue. The slapstick is embarrassing.

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03/30/2021

Structurally a bit lumpy and overall imperfect, the polar opposite of Jane Fonda in that one scene 👀

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steve d

@RT35616104 07/15/2020

There are a million stories and characters, but not one of them are interesting.

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jona i

@RT86387422 09/20/2019

Hilarious! Incredible cast. And Maggie Smith effortlessly spins from hilarious to tragic--magnificent!

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ashley h

@ashleyhobgood87 03/18/2019

California Suite is a disappointing film. It is about the misadventures of four groups of guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Jane Fonda and Alan Alda give terrible performances. The screenplay is badly written. Herbert Ross did a horrible job directing this movie. I was not impressed with this motion picture.

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Herbert Ross

Director

Alan Alda

Bill Warren

Jane Fonda

Hannah Warren

Maggie Smith

Diana Barrie

Michael Caine

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Synopsis

Four comedic scenarios play out at a hotel in this adaptation of the Neil Simon play. Divorced couple Hannah (Jane Fonda) and Bill (Alan Alda) argue over custody of their daughter; an actress (Maggie Smith) frets over her Oscar nomination as her gay husband (Michael Caine) comes out of the closet; a businessman (Walter Matthau) finds a comatose prostitute in his bed, and two competitive doctors (Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby) settle their differences with a free-for-all tennis game.

Director: Herbert Ross
Producer: Ray Stark
Screenwriter: Neil Simon
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Rastar Films
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 15, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 14, 2010
Runtime: 1h 43m