[5]

Shirley MacLaine plays a jinxed woman whose four husbands meet tragic ends in this satirical comedy about money and passion. There are a lot of great moments in What a Way to Go, but the sum isn’t greater than the parts. The disjointed narrative is made nearly tolerable by screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also brought together the fractured tales of Singin’ in the Rain and Auntie Mame. The film consists of four stories, one for each husband — Dick Van Dyke, Paul Newman, Gene Kelly, and Robert Mitchum. These guys each have fun with their roles, and MacLaine does, too. But it’s not quite enough to sustain the movie for two hours, especially when you already know how each vignette is going to end.

Oscar Nominations: Color Costume Design, Color Art Direction