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To me, this movie is perfection.

A Masterpiece!

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

. . . according to the doddering producer\director of A HOLE IN THE HEAD. As he forces viewers to stumble through a cornucopia of false endings for this story, each sappier than its predecessor, most watchers no doubt will hope that the "Buffalo Gals" will come out tonight to stomp some sense into Frank before he takes names higher than "Walt Disney" and "Marilyn Monroe" in vain. Though tons of flicks have ended in muddled jumbles, A HOLE IN THE HEAD really takes the cake (in the sense of the kid who slams the kitchen door with one rising in the oven, causing it to fall). While it may be impossible for a great musical composer to write a symphony with even one bad note, it boggles the mind seeing how a demented HUAC stool pigeon can string together at least 20 minutes at the end of A HOLE IN THE HEAD where EVERY note is wrong, and then convince a major movie studio to actually distribute the resulting cacophonic mess. If one of this film's major Franks is a kiwi, the other surely qualifies as being a dodo bird.

Okay, sometimes they get it wrong. Oscar certainly did. They gave the gong to a piece of cheese like High Hopes whilst completely ignoring the gorgeous ballad from the same stable (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn) and the same (this one) movie, namely All My Tomorrows which Sinatra sings over the opening credits. They also got it wrong with the choice of director, Frank Capra. Indisputably a great director in the thirties and forties but out of touch with the modern world. And did they really think that Beatniks were here to stay in 1959. What was a great role and a great performance by Carolyn Jones in 1959 is now embarrassing to watch. Okay, Sinatra's charisma can get him through a role like this standing on his head but his style is totally at odds with Eddie Robinson as his brother-in-law (they would appear in the same film fifteen years later but on that occasion Robinson's cameo was self-contained in the first reel and they never shared a screen). There's very little attempt to 'open out' what began as a stage play and we have to wait almost one hour before Eleanor Parker appears. E for Effort and that's about it.

this movie is clearly a forgotten classic film with a great cast. Primarily shot on location with some scenes obviously shot on sound stages in Los Angeles. Over all a great movie. Gloria Estefan's Cardozo Hotel was used at Sinatra's Garden of Eden. That hotel was also used in There's Something About Mary. The Fountainebleu also provided a great location shot in 2 scenes. I did notice in one beach scene that was to take place in Miami Beach, in the background was Catalina Island, which is in Los Angeles. There is also a tribute web-site for this movie that features original memorabilia like lobby cards, still shots, information about the Broadway play and other cool things.

Read all my reviews at www.midnitcafe.blogspot.comI received A Hole in the Head for my birthday in a Frank Sinatra double pack with the original Manchurian Candidate. I had put off watching it because it did not seem like a movie I would particularly enjoy. But in my quest to watch and review all of my movies, I had no choice but to put it in the player. Of course the fact that my wife wanted to watch it prompted me a little further even to the point of watching it out of alphabetical order.Frank Capra is the great godfather of sentimental movies. Many of these are deservedly hailed by fans and critics. From Mr Smith Goes to Washington to It's a Wonderful Life Capra made movies about the little guys fighting the system and coming out on top. These movies are sentimental enough to be dubbed "Capracorn" by the system, but are handled with masterful hands that rise above the schmaltz created by so many others. Besides little guys he also flooded his movies with eccentric characters standing out in a world full or normal folk. Arsenic and Old Lace and You Can't Take it With You are standouts of this form. Sadly, A Hole in the Head tries to mix both of these Capra types and fails on both accounts.The film is the second to last picture ever made by Capra and was the beginning of an attempted comeback from a few years break from making Hollywood pictures. But instead of a comeback this film serves only to remind us of what Capra used to be. Frank Sinatra plays a down on his luck big dreamer who is about to be evicted from his hotel business in Miami, Florida. He calls up his brother, Edward G Robinson and sister-in-law Thelma Ritter for help pretending his son is sick. Robinson and wife quickly head down from New York to see what's going on. Hilarity and sentimentality ensue. Swinging Sinatra butts heads with button down Robinson until a quick ending and easy solution are found.The performances of the stars are fine. At this point in their careers Sinatra and Robinson are essentially playing themselves. Although Sinatra is more up and coming to the declining Robinson. There are some good jokes and the simple story is fair enough as it is. Capra fills Sinatra's hotel with an odd collection of eccentrics that seem to have no other purpose but to fill up some time and tell a few jokes. The ending of the movie seems tied on and creates changes to some characters without any real provocation. The cheese factor is high even for a Capra film and it's not subdued by any superb performances. The drama is not elevated above the schlock you would see in a made for TV movie.The stand out of the film is Sinatra and son singing the classic "High Hopes." Being a fan of Sinatra more as a singer than actor this amusing break in the middle of the picture helped keep my hopes up for a decent picture. Those hopes were not shattered, nor were they completely fulfilled. For beginners of "Capracorn" you should pick out some of his earlier, superior films. But for a lonely night in need of some corny sentiment, this is some fluffy candy that just might fill.More reviews at www.midnitcafe.blogspot.com