In Praise of Older Women

Despite its title, this tediously faithful adaptation of Stephen Vizinczey's book proves to be no more than the picaresque adventures of a highly self-satisfied Hungarian Romeo. Glibly reflecting on the nature of Women, Love, etc., hero and film skate arm-in-arm across an utterly conventional series of sexual encounters: from adolescent seduced by his neighbour (whatever is Karen Black doing here?), via cabaret artiste and 'revolutionary', to the women he meets as a philosophy lecturer in Canada. The film hits a high when one of his pupils has the temerity to declare her sexual preferences. But as that immediately writes her out of the picture, we are back to the soft-focus, softcore actions of a limp prick; a guy who can rise no further than his own dire simile: love is like a supermarket - you can come out with goods you just didn't need.