How To Murder Your Wife is one bizarro movie which tells a very adult story in a childlike manner (at times, it felt like live-action Disney comedy with naughty bits). An item from the MGM/UA back catalog given a polished Blu Ray re-release thanks to the folks at Olive Films, this loopy, underseen 1965 comedy is ripe for a re-appraisal. Is it worth it? If you're a feminist or a fan of subtle filmmaking, probably not. For all others, this Jack Lemmon vehicle serves well as an enjoyable, demented trip to the sexist side of the '60s.

Like a Mad magazine spread transcribed to celluloid, this 1965 sendup gleefully depicts marriage as a soul-sucking place where spineless men go to succumb to the exhausting demands of the women. Lemmon's character, a wealthy cartoonist accustomed to a swingin' playboy lifestyle, wakes up one morning to find that he's married to the blonde bombshell who stripped at the bachelor party he attended the previous evening. As embodied by the gorgeous Virna Lisi, Lemmon's new bride is a vivacious Italian immigrant (so fresh to the U.S., she hasn't yet learned to speak English) whose religious background forbids divorce. She can cook and keep house, however, and she apparently adores her new hubby. Most rational viewers would think "What's the big deal?," but for Lemmon's Stanley Ford it's a situation worse than any lifelong prison sentence.

Written tongue-in-cheekily by George Axelrod, How To Murder Your Wife takes its "girls are icky" premise to the limit, while director Richard Quine (Bell, Book and Candle) pitches the action and dialogue at an accelerated, cartoonish level. Part of Stanley Ford's aversion to marriage comes from the fact that the daily newspaper strip he's famous for, Bash Brannigan, is inspired by acted-out dramas staged by Ford and his faithful butler, Charles Firbank (Terry-Thomas). Mrs. Ford's arrival puts the kibosh on that, while the lady's intrusiveness eventually sends the woman-hating Firbank packing. As Lisi does her wifely duties, redecorating his fabulous Manhattan townhouse and larding him up with rich Italian cuisine, the union is welcomed by Stanley's lawyer friend, Harold Lampson (Eddie Mayehoff) and his take-charge wife, Edna (Claire Trevor). The domesticated Stanley winds up modifying Bash Brannigan from suave international spy to henpecked husband, which ironically makes the strip more popular than ever. Marriage is driving him further into a funk, however, so Stanley conspires to get rid of the wifey in the most creative way he knows - by illustrating it in his very own comic strip.

Shrill and unpleasant as it often is, How To Murder Your Wife's dogged devotion to its own ridiculousness makes it stand out among frothy '60s sex comedies. The first half is an assault of mini-scenes pitched too brash and noisily (everybody shouting above each other), but once it settles one can appreciate the craft put into it. This movie apparently has an ardent following among now-grown men who first saw it as kids in the '60s - which is easy to see, since Lemmon's Stanley is an overgrown boy himself whose cool job (cartooning!), luxury pad (with live-in butler!), and relaxed lifestyle (daily trips to the health club!) is interrupted not by school or parents but a bodacious, playful blonde. The fact that Virna Lisi remains appealing even as her persistent character (who doesn't have a name) attempts to mold Stanley into someone he isn't might be considered one of the movie's failings, but it helps soften the script's sexism and puts forth the idea that this whole thing was intended to be tongue-in-cheek. Casting aside the questionable story, the film certainly looks lovely with Harry Stradling's lush cinematography, while Stanley's multi-level townhouse was made into an awe-inspiring setting by production designer Richard Sylbert (it must be noted that Mrs. Lord's redesign of the apartment included lots of kitschy artwork by "big-eyed child" painter Margaret Keane). A lively score by Neal Hefti (passages strongly resemble his Odd Couple theme) contributes mightily to the movie's cartoonish feel.

In retrospect, How To Murder Your Wife appears to have been an odd fit for Jack Lemmon's nebbishy screen persona at the time. He gamely throws himself into the role, however, making Stanley's plight an epic identity crisis. During the movie's climactic courtroom scene, Lemmon especially shines when Stanley makes a convincing case for breaking free of marital constraints. It's a fantastic bit of acting and a highlight of this gleefully un-P.C. movie.

Please Note: The stills used here are taken from promotional materials and other sources, not the Blu-ray edition under review.