What’s Up Doc?

Originally published on social media on July 14th, 2022

Does anyone else have specific films they put that are always guaranteed to brighten your mood? This is one of mine.

“What’s Up Doc” probably has the most random film ever made. If you sit down and try to figure out the logic, you can’t. Yet somehow, the chaos is so clever and well written that it’s easy to follow and very enjoyable. Throughout the film, reality is continually being altered in various ways, and yet everything always manages to work out. In that way, this film reminds me that God can work out even the MOST RANDOM situations for good.

Here are some other notes about the film:

If for no other reason, you have to watch this film for Barbra Streisand. Her outfits are *chef kiss* and make you want to own every item in her character’s closet. Babs herself brings her classic elegance to her role, but is somehow extremely relatable and hilarious at the same time. The way her character is written is so brilliant and endearing.

The only role I had seen Ryan O’Neal before this was in “Love Story”, a film I truly despise. When I first saw this, I was initially hesitant of his acting abilities because of that film. However, he was redeemed for me in this film, and not just because he and Babs make fun of “Love Story” at one point. Ryan O’Neal is hilarious, dorky, and lovable in his portrayal of Howard. He could have very easily taken on this role and embraced the more spoofy aspects, but he didn’t. In fact, no one did. Everyone is true to their characters and because of that, this “screwball comedy” (as the poster calls it) is not over the top.

This film is truly a film for people who like old Hollywood history. There are many references to other Warner Bros productions hidden throughout the script. I’m not going to tell you what they are, but I challenge you to search for them!