Diary of a Mad Housewife

Tina is a housewife in New York with two children. Her husband Jonathan is a lawyer, obsessed with advancement, controlling everything from the right wine to the right school, and correcting his wife constantly. She begins an affair with a writer. He turns out to be at least as selfish as the husband. The narrative neither saves the marriage nor offers the escape as a solution. Frank Perry directs. Carrie Snodgress plays Tina, Richard Benjamin plays Jonathan and Frank Langella plays George, the writer. The source is Sue Kaufman's novel. The strength is in the writing of the husband. Jonathan is not violent, does not cheat, and looks from outside like a good spouse; what he does is talk continuously and correct every sentence his wife says. The narrative needs no other event to show how much that wears a person down. It appeared at the start of the seventies as the women's movement was spreading, and was argued over; some critics defended it for carrying a woman's view, others attacked it because Tina does nothing. Carrie Snodgress was nominated for the Oscar for best actress for the part and won two Golden Globes. It is among Frank Langella's first films. It closes on a group therapy scene and refuses to give an answer. Who it is for: viewers who like seventies American independent drama and films built on marriage. Who it is not for: none of the character's moves work, the tone descends steadily, and the humour is very bitter.