Husbands

1970 Directed by John Cassavetes

A comedy about life, death and freedom

A common friend's sudden death brings three men, married with children, to reconsider their lives and ultimately leave together. But mindless enthusiasm for regained freedom will be short-lived.

Ben Gazzara Peter Falk John Cassavetes Jenny Runacre Jenny Lee Wright Noelle Kao John Kullers Meta Shaw Stevens Leola Harlow Gena Rowlands Delores Delmar Eleanor Zee Claire Malis Gwen Van Dam Carinthia West Joseph Boley Judith Lowry David Rowlands

131 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Adam Friedland 2

I want to be with my boys forever
Review by K. Austin Collins

"Like, this is exhausting." -- Taylor Swift
Mike White, of (among other things) Chuck and Buck, who used to collaborate with Judd Apatow on "Freaks and Geeks," once said of his former collaborator that films like Knocked Up were disillusioning because the nerds, who were once the bullied class, the easy prey of the pretty and the popular, were suddenly the ones doing the bullying. (This was in reference to the depictions of women and gays in that and other Apatow films.)
I don't agree with White's assessment of the quality of Apatow's work, which I like despite the abundance of valid reasons to feel otherwise. But on the subject of bullies, White may be onto something. Apatow has said…
Review by eve 🐁 ★★★★★ 16

((pardon the length-- this is a thing i wrote for class that I wanted to share))
john cassavete's husbands tells the tale of three average, working class men. at first glance, the film seems to be about nothing-- just these men walking and talking with no real “point”. alas, at further inspection, cassavetes brilliantly crafts a film about loss and the different ways in which we deal with it, as well as a tale being at a point in your life where you’re not young, yet you're not old either. most importantly, as the title suggests, husbands is very much about men.
similar to his later works a woman under the influence and love streams, cassavetes forces the viewer to…
Review by <Todd> ★★★★ 5

"Besides sex, I like you guys better" - Harry,
Guys are a mess.
Husbands is a film about 3 men who leave their families and realize freedom isn't as fulfilling as they expected it to be. It's an amazing film that I had problems with because I couldn't get past the characters. What John Cassavetes produces and gets out of Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk is some of the most real and impactful group acting I've ever seen in a film. The cinematography is beautiful and the camera work is fantastic. I liked the pacing for the most part although the ending feels a bit long (perhaps because the ending is so cringy). I like the film, I just didn't…
Review by nora ★★★★½

ben gazzara as the ultimate third wheel desperate to make it a throuple
also not to continue to be the person who compares every movie to REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, but john cassavetes is james dean, peter falk is natalie wood, and ben gazzara is sal mineo and that's all i have to say about THAT
Review by eve 🐁 ★★★★★ 13

“it’s not the sickness. I can live with that. no, here's what it is. it’s a tremendous need. an anxiety.”
HUSBANDS CRITERIONNNNNN 🎉 🎉 🎊 🎈🎉

Recent reviews

Review by lily ★★★★

listening to the commentary track to fall asleep
Review by Gideon Resnick ★★★½

real dudes rock 2020 energy.
definitely the messiest cassavetes i've seen and tough in terms of content and length.
but ultimately a more interesting document about masculinity than something like fight club.
you can smell the alcohol on this one.
Review by Collins Swords ★★★★

Never has freedom felt so primitive and undesirable
Review by austin

i had a depressive episode halfway during this. i assume cassavetes would’ve taken that as a complement?
Review by Aaron Ruybal ★★★★★

Boys will be boys
Review by Nolan ★★★½

i'm just tryna ball w my bros
Review by Paul Royar ★★★½

61/100
It's a bit uncomfortable to watch these three belligerent assholes for over two hours (far too long), but it's worth it to wade through the vile behavior. Great performances and an incredibly in-depth look at men during crises make it worth your while.
Definitely Cassavetes' messiest movie.
Review by Rene ★★★

Me and my boys. Just playing a game of basketball and not making a single shot.
Review by MarcoMiguel ★★★★

Have you ever experienced weirdly wanting to marry your bestfriends because you love them so much? Well, I have, and I think John Cassavetes' Husbands perfectly captures that kind of feeling. There's nothing sexual about it, really; it's just that it's comforting being around people you actually really want to be around with, sometimes even more than your partner. This is certainly true in the case of Harry (Ben Gazzara) who admitted he likes his friends more than his wife even though she's terrific in bed. The film soars when it focuses on the trio's friendship, not so much on their relationships with women. To be honest, they're awful people—unnecessarily violent and needlessly mean—but to each other, they're perfect. Terrifically scripted and well-acted, Husbands could have benefitted from an editing as tight as the trio's friendship, but as it is, a worthwhile dissection of masculinity and male friendship.