Rating: 
Summary: It's interesting to compare Nicholson and Bergen...
Review: ...as they were here to their more contemporary selves. Nicholson's portrayal of the misogynistic half of a college roommate duo reveals even here a developing gift for playing cynics. The term his character uses here--"ballbusters"--what he sees as women's power to use a man's own libido as a weapon against him--is in spirit a lot like his court-martialled military officer's sneer in "A Few Good Men": "You can't HANDLE the truth!". In contrast, the role Candice Bergen plays here--a cutesy coed who in one scene gets goofy drunk and giggles her way through that old Sunday school joke about the hymn about a bear with crossed eyes--doesn't even seem like the same woman who would later become a lot more famous as the world-weary know-it-all Murphy Brown. Art "Simon and" Garfunkel isn't much of an actor, but he doesn't really have to be as Nicholson's nice-guy roomie (which casts him as sort of a double-foil to BOTH of his more talented costars).
Rating:
Summary: Its All About Relationships
Review: A very captivating classic this Carnal Knowledge film. A young cocky Jack Nicolson playing opposite the more sensitive Art Garfunkel. Candace Bergen plays the love interest of Garfunkel and for a brief while Nicolosn as well. Some scenes illustrate the point that sensitivity and a gentle way will win the heart of a nice lady.
Ann Margaret's role is an interesting one as well. She certainly fits Nicolson's type to a tee. Then when they shack up together, Nicolson gets annoyed with her. Jack has his own work life and want Ms Margaret to have a life of her own instead of lazing around in bed. Rita Moreno's character has some interest as she enjoys calling the shots in an affair with Garfunkel.
Mostly interesting is the way the friendship between Nicoloson and Garfunkel evolves over the course of their lifetimes from college to mid career. They somehow are able to confide in each other although Nicolson's character seems to feel he can stand on his own two feet more adeptly.
Its long on intrigue, strong on humor but truly all about relationships. And its a raving success in my book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great early Nichols
Review: Another great early Nichols. He was on one mean ... streak I tell ya. Virgina Wolf, the The Graduate, Catch 22, and then this film. Which is: Very well done, Very mature, extremely confident in it's telling, thought provoking, well acted, well written, etc.Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkle star as best buds in this story that follows their sexual encounters from college to middle age. That's really it. No other action takes place in this movie that doesn't have something to do with, yup, Carnal Knowledge. Good title too. Don't you think? Just grabs you. Like Catch 22, which I just saw, this movie is all about great framing and long one takes. Even though this movie takes place almost completely inside and is very much like a play, it is very cinematic. Nichols always has the camera in the right place, or at least an interesting place. The structure of the film is also so interesting. It just pops around from sexaul encounter to sexual encounter. And it addresses the whole spectrum...: first love, to marriage, to adultery, to apathy, to..well, it covers a lot. And though it tends to focus mainly on the negative, which can be a little bleak, it sure is real. At times it can be a little slow and a little tedious (you sort of feel Nichols getting a little TOO into some of these long takes), but this remains a very good, intelligent, unflinching movie. Check it out. B, B+
Rating: 
Summary: Strong elements go nowhere
Review: Because I admire both Nichols and Feiffer, I wanted to like this film. And there are many things I did like--it's witty dialogue, authentic performances and progressive, adult treatment of sexuality. It's fatal flaw is that the characters aren't well-developed; no person in this film demonstrates any notable emotional trajectory. Ultimately, the creepy awareness sets in that you've been held hostage to an intellectual exercise, built on cliches. Feiffer wrote a stage play based on an obvious premise, and Nichols rendered it cinematic with heavy-handed framing devices. I guess the continued viability of the film hinges on how long people are titillated by the word, "carnal."
Rating:
Summary: Strong elements go nowhere
Review: Because I admire both Nichols and Feiffer, I wanted to like this film. And there are many things I did like--it's witty dialogue, authentic performances and progressive, adult treatment of sexuality. It's fatal flaw is that the characters aren't well-developed; no person in this film demonstrates any notable emotional trajectory. Ultimately, the creepy awareness sets in that you've been held hostage to an intellectual exercise, built on cliches. Feiffer wrote a stage play based on an obvious premise, and Nichols rendered it cinematic with heavy-handed framing devices. I guess the continued viability of the film hinges on how long people are titillated by the word, "carnal."
Rating:
Summary: Sexual Attitudes
Review: Carnal Knowledge is one of the finest American films dealing with sexual attitudes and relationships. I have seen this film three times oever the past ten years, and I am always amazed at the quality of the film, in all aspects. Jack Nicholson portrays your typical chauvinistic male who thinks scoring sexually is the ultimate goal in relationships. He typifies the old male guard before the sexual and human rights revolution of the 1960's and onward. Love was secondary compared with the male conquering the female. Nicholson plays the role so realistically that it is frighterning graphic: the cruelty of his actions towards Candace Bergen and Ann Margaret, not to mention his best friend Art Garfunkle. Having grown up at the end of the chauvinistic period, I saw this type of behavior between the sexes everyday. Art Garfunkle, Ann Margaret, Candace Bergen excellently play roles that are graphically realistic. Art has a wonderfully naive nature that is easily exploited by his friend, and his nature sets himself up for disappointments in love. Candace Bergen plays a nice women who willingly falls prey to Nicholson's aggressive, but charming chauvinism. Ann Margaret plays the ultimate man's sex dream, but is very initeresting because she wants to break out of the stereotyped role and become a normal wife. Nicholson is the most interesting character because he has the most tragic outlook on sex and relationships, and at the end, he is reduced to an impotent and pathetic excuse for a human being. Great film. Every adult should watch this film, especially before they consider a relationship with the other sex. Ricky Wallace
Rating:
Summary: Hard to believe this film is more than 30 yrs old
Review: Carnal Knowledge spans 30 years in the lives of two college friends, guys played by Jack Nicholson (you won't believe how young he looks) and Art Garfunkel (yes, one and the same). Jack Nicholson plays a tax lawyer with the hots for women who are, shall we say, well-endowed. Garfunkel plays the more temperate guy, a doctor who has quiet affairs. As they go from youth to middle age, the movie, revolutionary at the time and wonderfully directed by Mike Nichols, follows their paths, examining how their attitudes toward women and sex are a reflection of their life values. It's not a pretty picture, and despite the titillation of the title, it's not even particularly sexy. But it's worth seeing, even if only for the way in which it is viewed as a pioneer film of the early 70s, a time in which long-held Hollywood traditions were giving way to more adult-style movies.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Mike Nichols was on a roll after "The Graduate" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "Carnal Knowledge" is his most intimate film, and one of the most daring of the 1970s. Its frankness in dealing with young men's sexual psychology has not lost its edge after thirty years. On top of it all, it gives us Nicholson's first truly great performance. The early scenes between him and Garfunkel are fresh and sincere. Spanning some three decades of their friendship, we see how their attitudes towards sex, and women in general, shape their lives. Both actors do a fine job of communicating the gravity of those years, and the most devastating scene is the one where Jack delivers a long and furious tirade at Ann-Margret. "I don't want a job, I want you," she says, to which he replies, "I'm taken...by me!" Brutally honest, yes, but because we've seen what comes before, it's perfectly logical. These men are still affected by the innocence of their younger years, but that innocence is violently clashing with their adult understanding (or lack thereof)--the understanding that the personality is in perpetual motion, and that it becomes difficult to keep up. The movie is often bleak in its settings and its subject matter, but the characters are very real--they challenge you to challenge them. Their dysfunctions may enlighten you, and there is nothing bleak about being enlightened. Oh, and Ann-Margret achieves bombshell status with this movie, playing a woman who at first seems to be the answer to all of Nicholson's fantasies. "Bye Bye Birdie" it ain't.
Rating:
Summary: Mike Nichols, master director
Review: The kind of quality film making rareley seen these days. The cinematography is superb and directing is masterfull. Even after all these years these characters remain true to their roles. I did not thing of Murphy Brown or Bridge Over Troubled Water. A beautifully made film not to be confused with that awfull '90's ripoff 'Singles'. Jules Feifer's screenplay is one of the best and Ann-margret's performance of Robby is proof of Nichols genious. A film worthy to be part of the '70's golden age. The director truly emerged.
Rating:
Summary: A study in psychology that never grows old
Review: This film shows us how certain people handle relationships and once sex is added in. Nicholson is the sly smooth talking guy who Garfunkel thinks is his buddy, but doesn't realize he is being used to set up Nicholson with his newly found crush Candy Bergen. They remain friends and we are shown how their lives go on and how they fall into certain traps due to weaknesses in their character. A very realistic look at life's relationships in the modern world that may appear a little tame by today's standards, But the driving forces remain the same. The acting is superb, the settings are fine, and the story is gripping and ageless.
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