Shampoo | Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Shampoo

      R Released Feb 11, 1975 1h 52m Comedy List
      68% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 56% Audience Score 5,000+ Ratings Against the backdrop of Nixon's election to office, Beverly Hills hairdresser and notorious rake George Roundy (Warren Beatty) runs into trouble when his lascivious habits begin to clash with his more responsible business ambitions. Things get even more complex when Roundy asks his wealthy mistress, Felicia Karpf (Lee Grant), for a business loan, unaware that his best friend and ex-girlfriend, Jackie (Julie Christie), is sleeping with Karpf's husband, Lester (Jack Warden). Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

      Where to Watch

      Shampoo

      Fandango at Home Prime Video

      Watch Shampoo with a subscription on Prime Video, rent on Fandango at Home, or buy on Fandango at Home.

      Shampoo

      What to Know

      Critics Consensus

      Shampoo trains a darkly comic lens on post-Nixon America, aiming at -- and often hitting -- an array of timely targets.

      Read Critics Reviews

      Critics Reviews

      View All (40) Critics Reviews
      Pauline Kael New Yorker Shampoo is light and impudent, yet, like the comedies that live on, it's a bigger picture in retrospect. Oct 6, 2023 Full Review Philippa Snow New Statesman George is that rare breed of lothario whom we believe when he suggests that he is promiscuous because he loves women too much and too well, a casualty of his own emotional immaturity. Mar 18, 2021 Full Review Walter Goodman New York Times In "Shampoo" Ashby shows that he has a good memory for a couple of decades of cinematic clichés. Dec 13, 2017 Full Review Dave Giannini InSession Film Although that mashup of tones can be difficult for some and the film takes a few minutes to really dive into the plot, it all coalesces together in a rewarding way. Feb 20, 2024 Full Review Steve Warren The Barb (Atlanta) There's nothing not to like in this sex farce-plus. May 5, 2023 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins It masterfully creates a snapshot of an era, documenting familiar movements and lifestyles and attitudes (sexual politics over the governmental kind). Rated: 8/10 Sep 22, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (289) audience reviews
      Elizabeth M I really enjoyed this film. A lot of twists and turns, but it’s so well done and everyone was perfectly cast. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/25/24 Full Review Blu B Hal Ashby is what elevates this to an interesting and decent enough level even when it doesn't make full sense and meanders at times. This thing oozes New Hollywood/Ashby for better or for worse. Everything about it is half decent save for the editing which was ok enough. The camerawork is really good, the settings all pop, and there is a couple memorable scenes as well. Everyone has some chemistry and the Ashby style humor hits a lot which really helps. Even with their flaws all the characters are likeable despite sometimes not always being clear what their moivations are or what to fully take away from a scene. Quite often I find myself enjoying a scene but not really sure what the point was or feeling like I'm missing something underlying like the election time this takes place in. It's an interesting love triangle that merges comedy, romance, and drama together well but has problems forming a cohesive story around everything. The best way to describe this is it alternates between scenes that make sense and scenes that don't but all of them are never boring or uninteresting. There is always something to keep your interest through it which is a testament to Ashby's direction. Some clearer motivations for all the characters, getting rid of some of the meandering scenes or making them clearer, and using the soundtrack a bit more often with some added tracks would've gone a long way here to help. It's defintely not for everyone and reallly only Ashby fans, fans of any actors in this, or hardcore New Hollywood Era fans will find enjoyment here. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/17/23 Full Review Bert M Thoughtful and period correct. Julie Christie and Warren Beaty at their finest. Funny. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/08/23 Full Review Taylor L America in 1968 seems so cool, why don't we make more movies about when things were groovy? Oh, right. Because Vietnam was kind of a downer. Shampoo is one of the many films that came out post-Watergate that showed a mirror to a transformed America. Where Alan J. Pakula opted to go down the thriller route with films like All The President's Men, Hal Ashby decided satire was the best bet; Shampoo shows an empty national consciousness years before the porcelain mask cracked under Nixon (who is shown in countless TV broadcast and wall portraits). The sexual experimentation of the '60s has become less of a liberation and more of a mindless ritual, a caving in to baser instincts that robs the real world of all sincerity. Encapsulating that, Warren Beatty's George is a talented hairdresser who finds his vain ambitions hobbled by the fact that he bangs anything that moves; he's shallow and dishonest, but he's operating in a sea of other shallow and dishonest people, and at least he looks good and can style hair. Not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but filled with more observational humor about social and political standards of the day. Props to Beatty for the very active role he took in crafting his own character, taking on not only the starring role but credits as writer and producer. Plus, he surrounded himself with talented and beautiful actresses of the day to bolster his story with a solid eye, including Goldie Hawn, Julie Christie, and a pre-Star Wars Carrie Fisher. (3/5) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member An artifact of its time but also a lacerating portrayal of sexual addiction. George Roundy is an artist in hair; he gives new identities to his "heads"; women who put their hair in his hands find new versions of themselves. But, as a sexual addict, he can't resist wanting to own those versions sexually (overtones of the Pygmalion myth, only with 60s hedonism/cultural repression). So his life is a mess; the central conflict of the film is whether the woman who he actually loves will be able to accept him as he is. Roundy is an inarticulate, difficult-to-sympathize with protagonist whose primary flaw was much more acceptable in 1975 than it is today. If you can withhold moral judgment, the comedy and tragedy of the characters will open for you. If you're stuck on "he's a jerk and these women got what they deserved for putting up with him," find something else to watch. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member LOL, the funniest 1 52/60 hours ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      88% 79% Stripes TRAILER for Stripes 57% 49% Neighbors 82% 66% Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice 14% 25% Big Trouble 43% 68% Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Related Movie News

      View All Related Movie News
      Classic Film Catch-Up: Eight Genre-Defining Quirky Rom-Coms to Stream Now Rank Goldie Hawn’s 10 Best Movies Five Favorite Films with Lawrence Kasdan

      Photos

      View All Shampoo photos

      Shampoo

      Shampoo (1975) Shampoo (1975) Shampoo (1975) Shampoo (1975) Shampoo (1975) Shampoo (1975) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Against the backdrop of Nixon's election to office, Beverly Hills hairdresser and notorious rake George Roundy (Warren Beatty) runs into trouble when his lascivious habits begin to clash with his more responsible business ambitions. Things get even more complex when Roundy asks his wealthy mistress, Felicia Karpf (Lee Grant), for a business loan, unaware that his best friend and ex-girlfriend, Jackie (Julie Christie), is sleeping with Karpf's husband, Lester (Jack Warden).
      Director
      Hal Ashby
      Producer
      Warren Beatty
      Screenwriter
      Robert Towne, Warren Beatty
      Distributor
      Columbia Pictures, Criterion Collection
      Production Co
      Columbia Pictures Corporation
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Feb 11, 1975, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Mar 1, 2011
      Runtime
      1h 52m
      Sound Mix
      Mono
      Most Popular at Home Now