Cactus Flower

Dr Julian Winston is a stylish dentist who treats romance like a game, avoiding true commitment. He keeps his dating life casual, until he falls for Toni Simmons and is ready to propose. To dodge pressure from her and his own family, he arranges for his shy nurse to pose as his wife. The plan relies on quick lies and careful timing, letting him pursue real feelings with Toni while maintaining the illusion of a traditional marriage. As the deception grows, so do complications and misunderstandings, and the line between pretense and love begins to blur in funny, fast dialogue and spark between the leads. Mistakes pile up as the misdirection spirals toward a playful collision of desire and duty.

Directed by Gene Saks, this production adapts a Broadway comedy by Abe Burrows, Jean-Pierre Grédy, and I A Diamond. Released in 1969, it brings Matthau, Bergman, and a rising Goldie Hawn together in a buoyant screwball setup that pops visually.

Box office performance was strong, earning about 25.8 million worldwide on a modest 3 million budget, a solid return that reinforced the film as a hit comedy of its era for fans with critics and audiences alike across generations today.

Goldie Hawn earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, a breakthrough moment that helped catapult her into stardom. The film is widely cited for its witty lines and for showcasing a fresh, comic chemistry among its trio of leads. It also boosted Hawn as a star.

Cactus Flower helped anchor Goldie Hawn as a screen comic force and contributed to late 60s and early 70s light hearted romantic farce. Ingrid Bergman and Walter Matthau bring a blend of elegance and dry humor that audiences remember as a bright snapshot of the era that still shines today.