McLintock!

source: McLintock!

Dull and irritating. Really just a platform for John Wayne (as GW McLintock) to strut around, showing that he's the boss. The plot and dialogue could not have been tailored more to Wayne's ego than if he had written it himself. Everything else seems secondary, and hammy. There is a sub-plot about the rights and heritage of Native Americans, but it is superficial and patronizing. There is also an initial attempt at, at last, having a strong female character, the equal of John Wayne. This theme, with Maureen O'Hara as Mclinkock's wife, seemed like it had potential but the whole interaction between McLintock and his wife seemed contrived, hammy and implausible. Ultimately, any thoughts that we might see a movie where a woman has equal standing to a John Wayne character is destroyed in the final few scenes. So nothing going for this movie. Even the beautiful and vivacious Maureen O'Hara can't save it.

Well, this film certainly may not be too politically correct for these times, but that aside, is simply a very well acted Western version of "The Taming of the Shrew". The chemistry between John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara is electric. She plays her role so convincing that you're happy she gets her spanking from George McLintock in the end. It's all done in a very comical way, and Maureen O'Hara was an excellent comic actress. For this reason, this film remains popular. In some ways it is similar to another John Wayne film, "The Quiet Man" also starring with Maureen O'Hara. In that film, John also plays the patient guy trying hard not to become violent, but to no avail. Both films represent the rawness of the land they live in: the rough American West and the bucolic but tough Irish country where fist fighting is very much a man's art. Seen through cultural filters both films are very realistic and natural. Those who look at these films from a perspective foreign to these cultures are missing the point entirely.

Sometimes John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara are really cute together, and sometimes the rest of the movie is so terrible there's nothing they can do to save it. John's son, Patrick Wayne costars in McLintock! alongside his dad, but not even his ridiculously handsome, chiseled mug makes this movie worthwhile. I didn't make it all the way through, and for me to actually turn off a movie, that says volumes. In the story, John and Maureen are an estranged married couple who obviously still have feelings for each other. Patrick plays a handsome hired hand-John Wayne is a rancher-and when Stefanie Powers steps into the picture, playing the visiting daughter, sparks fly. This is one of those silly sixties comedies, and the acting was so all-around terrible, I just couldn't keep watching it. I can pick any other Maureen O'Hara movie if I want to see her overact, and I can pick any other John Wayne movie if I want to hear him be wooden and obnoxious.

Looking at the reviews on this site, it appears this film has many fans. I cannot understand why. First of all, the script has no charm. I loved Wayne and O'Hara in The Quiet Man, but here they are working with a script that more closely resembles a Road Runner cartoon (mug for the camera, hit someone over the head with the nearest object, then fall hilariously over your own feet!). Saying that the concept is based upon The Taming of the Shrew does not make it better. Everything that happens in the film is broadcast in advance. There are no surprises. Slapstick can be an art, but here there is no joy in it. I don't mean to belittle the opinions of others. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. But I found no genuine laughs in this movie. There are so many other worthy films out there.

The idea of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara performing a western-style version of "Taming of the Shrew" is a good one; and, the film shows some promise when Ms. O'Hara arrives; she and Mr. Wayne appear to be in good physical shape. However, the film isn't really "Shrew" - it's "McLintock!" If that isn't easy to see, early on, it's obvious after the scene between Mr. Wayne and his character's daughter; his oration, while hunting fowl, is not comedy. Wayne is making a statement. Shortly following this scene, his daughter receives her spanking. There are subtle "political" observations - for example, the use of the names "George Washington" and "Hubert Humphrey". I could accept this as a broad comedy, but numerous scenes are not comic; I don't know how to relate those parts to the rest of the movie in anything except a negative light. If all of the film is supposed to be comic, it fails as a consistent comedy. I would recommend watching the giant "Mud Puddle" fighting scene; then, watch the end, with Wayne chasing O'Hara through town. If you're not into John Wayne, consider avoiding "McLintock!" ** McLintock! (11/13/63) Andrew V. McLaglen ~ John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Patrick Wayne

This is an incoherent, frivolous film without much at stake. Wayne has a silly misunderstanding with his wife so that he may later spank her. There is fun to be had sliding in the mud, but never has a film hung onto a joke for quite so long. John Wayne was rarely considered a great actor, but his son Patrick makes him look like Lawrence Olivier. The movie cannot be recommended, but it won't cause any brain damage. How the pairing of Wayne and O'Hara could have failed this profoundly is something of a mystery. The script is certainly terrible, but it is O'Hara's character that really limits possibility. She plays a pretentious snob who could have only married Wayne in a state of dazzling inebriation.

I like John Wayne pictures but I really disliked this film. It's probably because Wayne's very best films all co-starred Maureen O'Hara (such as The Quiet Man and his cavalry trilogy). So, when I compared these films to McLintock!, it comes up woefully short. I think most of it is because the writers and actors just didn't seem to take the film very seriously. It almost looked this the crew has drinking and having a high old time as a part of some big reunion--only to occasionally take a break to film a few scenes. The "slapstick-type" scenes just ruined the film. I didn't want to see that but real acting and a strong story--something these other films had in common.

Directed by Andrew MacLaglan, this rip-roaring John Wayne-Maureen O'Hara comedy lets them do what they did best. Wayne plays George Washington McLintock, a brawler and he-man in typical Western setting. O'Hara plays his feisty wife and Stefanie Powers their bratty daughter, Becky. Patrick Wayne, son of Big John, plays Becky's intended, a young man who looks like he'll wind up just like her pa. 'McLintock' is fast, furious, and funny. About as far from PC as you can get, this Western take on The Taming of the Shrew is bawdy and boisterous, and the casting is perfect. John Wayne was a man's man in the 'gotta do what he has to do' mould and this role was perfect. O'Hara - his best co-star - is also superb.

I've always been a John Wayne fan and a fan of this movie in particular. When it came out in 1963, there was a television special on the making of "McLintock!" that showed the filming of the famous muddy fight sequence. That got me wanting to see this film even more. In today's "politically correct" atmosphere, the spanking scenes would seem to some as barbarian. But it was played as broad comedy and remains broad comedy. Maureen O'Hara gave (verbally) as she got. 40 years ago, during the telecast of JFK's funeral, the flag-draped casket and caisson were shown passing by a movie theater. On the marquee: "McLintock!"