Review: The Only Real Fun in 'Man's Favorite Sport?' are the Gay Innuendos

Howard Hawks, the great director of "Bringing Up Baby," one of the quintessential screwball comedies in cinema history, would go on to helm comedy classics like "His Girl Friday," Ball of Fire," "Monkey Business," and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." And that's not even mentioning iconic works like "Red River," "Sergeant York," and "The Big Sleep."

Alas, by 1964, with his dream leading man, Cary Grant too old to play the lead, Hawks' last career comedy would prove to be a most disappointing one. And while it has many defenders and re-evaluators and was a box office hit when it was released, "Man's Favorite Sport?" is rarely even amusing; it features two leads that have zero chemistry, contains lazy filmmaking choices (backdrop usage, old tricks), and comes in at an interminably unnecessary running time (just over 2 hours).

Based on Pat Frank's book 'The Girl Who Almost Got Away" (what irony in that title), screenwriters John Fenton Murray and Steve McNeil (who might have done better if they had elicited the help of an actual woman) fashion a dull-as-dishwater comedy about Roger Willoughby (Rock Hudson), an Abercrombie & Fitch-employed fishing expert, who has never fished (nor can he swim) forced to take part in a fishing tournament thanks to ambitious press agent Abigail Page (Paula Prentiss). Roger is given a crash course in how to catch a fish as Abigail pursues him (or does she? It's hard to tell), and he is repelled by both Abigail and fish. (Seriously, I couldn't write this craziness).

The only real fun to be had is in the gay innuendos – from a policeman telling Hudson to "Simmer down, Abigail!" (that could have been an expression in mid-'60s secret gay bars), to Rock's total disinterest in every female around him, to his extreme hatred of all things "fish," about which he goes on ad nauseum.

Beyond that, we have to sit through silly cartoonish moments involving fishing and fake bears, blended with lame attempts at romantic comedy. And the big misunderstanding culmination involving three women and Hudson lands with such a thump that it's nearly repeated a few scenes later – just in case the audience missed it – and isn't amusing the second time, either.

Hudson is usually quite good with comedy, but here it's as if he can't wait for the film to be over. Hawks said Rock "wasn't a comedian," but if you watch "Pillow Talk," that is just not true. Perhaps he just needed good material to work with.

The director was also enamored with Prentiss, and remarked that he could not understand why she never became a bigger star. Audiences were obviously divided. Based on her work here, I can see how she was an acquired taste. She's kooky for sure, but I her found her quite taxing and, in the end, downright annoying.

The Kino Blu-ray looks and sounds great. Kudos to the transfer techs.

The audio commentary features historian Michael Schlesinger raving about how underrated the film is. Prentiss and her actor/director husband Richard Benjamin offer occasional insights, but it's mostly Schlesinger waxing enthusiastically. He almost made me want to watch the film again. Almost.

Blu-ray Extras Include: