Me, Natalie

Me, Natalie is a 1969 American comedydrama film directed by Fred Coe. The screenplay by A. Martin Zweiback is based on an original story by Academy Awardwinner Stanley Shapiro, who previously wrote the Doris Day comedies Pillow Talk 1959, Lover Come Back 1961, and That Touch of Mink 1962. The films cast includes Patty Duke, James Farentino, Salome Jens, Elsa Lanchester, Nancy Marchand and Martin Balsam. This was Al Pacinos film debut.

After she discovers her fathers plan, Natalie leaves home and moves to Greenwich Village, where she rents an apartment from eccentric Miss Dennison and sets out to enjoy a Bohemian lifestyle. She finds employment as a cocktail waitress at the Topless Bottom Club and befriends drugaddicted gogo dancer Shirley Norton. Although she contemplates suicide after discovering her aspiring artist lover David Harris is married, he finally convinces her shes a worthwhile human being and not the ugly duckling she imagines herself to be.In his review in the New York Times, Vincent Canby called the film an artificial mess of wisecracks and sentimentality and added, Locales and a gummy musical score by Henry Mancini and Rod McKuen are among the things constantly impinging on Me, Natalie. Another is Coes apparent indecision as to whether the movie is a character study or a gag comedy. Mostly its just gags, delivered abrasively by Miss Duke, who is even less effective when registering pathos. ........

Source: Wikipedia