Bachelor dentist Julian Winston (Walter Matthau) met the ditzy but sweet Toni (Goldie Hawn) a year ago, but to avoid the looming threat of commitment, he claimed he was married with three kids. But Toni tries to commit suicide -- a faulty attempt botched by her attractive playwright neighbor Igor (Rick Lenz). When Julian learns of it, he decides to marry her, and pretends that he's getting a divorce from the wife he doesn't have. Small problem: Toni wants to meet her personally.

Julian tries to convince his straightlaced nurse Stephanie (Ingrid Bergman) to pretend to be his wife. At first she says no way, but then agrees (partly because she is secretly in love with him... of course). Except then Toni thinks that Stephanie is still in love with Julian, and that his kids will be traumatized by the divorce. So then Julian tries to recruit a fake boyfriend for his fake wife, to give an excuse for the fake divorce... and the web of nonexistant lovers starts to spread.

This film is a fun film, not a great film; it's froth, and pretends to be no more. In fact, I guessed the outcome of the movie (give or take a cactus and mink stole) within the first ten minutes. But getting there is half the fun. It's cute to see the little web of lies getting worse and worse, right down to the womanizing pal Harvey telling his idiot girlfriend that he's an agent for the CIA.

The trappings of "Cactus Flower" are a bit dated now -- the dancing, the store of vinyl records, the clothing, the hippie putting flowers on people's windshields. Fortunately, the script has aged pretty well if you know what "square" means. The cluelessness of Hawn's character starts to grate on the nerves (surely NO ONE can be this dim), but it has some funny dialogue.

Ingrid Bergman usually got stuck in dramatic, often melancholy roles, but here she gets to bust loose with plenty of acid-tongued barbs, the "dentist" dance, not to mention a funny, sexy dance with Igor and a mink stole. Matthau does an excellent job as the increasingly uptight, habitual liar Julian, whom we like despite his jerkishness. Hawn is merely okay; she spends a little too much time biting her lip and looking fawnish, and Lenz is extremely funny, charming and quite underrated.

The witty repartee and amusingly predictable plotline make this a fun watch, if you're in the mood for something light and bizarrely romantic. Cute and entertaining.

This is one of my family's most beloved movies. Clever and funny, with a cast that shines in every scene. I agree with other reviewers that Ingrid Bergman's comedic timing is superb! And Goldie Hawn is so very young in it, and already a high-class performance that won her an award.

Anyway, I wasn't expecting much when I finally watched it, especially after reading Leonard Maltin's review. However, I quickly found myself thouroughly enjoying the scenarios unfolding. Lighthearted, yes...but very fun. It is very much in line with the Neil Simon plays/film of the era, having also been derived from a Broadway play. I have to say that good old Leonard is wrong on this one, as are many other critcs. The most astonishing error is the claim that Ingrid Bergman was miscast and has no comedic timing. She was a riot to watch in a role like this; I'll say the best moments in the film are hers. To my eyes, Bergman appears to be having a blast with this role and it is quite apparent. At this point in her career, her mid 50's, it is wholly enjoyable to see the still beautiful Bergman having some lighthearted, carefree fun.
I am surprised that the Academy chose to honor Goldie Hawn for her performance. I found her to be a tad too cooky, even for a '60's go-go girl. Walter Matthau, however, plays the role of a sneaky dentist quite well and is fully enjoyable.
Apart from the actors' performances, I did also enjoy the look and feel of the film. While many films from the 60's and 70's appear, to me, to be hopelessly dated in both of these aspects, I found that the "1969" in this film looked great. It was actually very appealing...oranges,browns, flowers, and miniskirts, et.al.
All in all, a very satisfying, simple little romp. Look folks, I'm not saying this is a masterpiece by any stretch, but I definately found this worthy seeing. The DVD has no extras to speak of...just a trailer of the film, as well as trailers for two other completely unrelated film (?) However, the transfer of the film to DVD is surprisingly satisfying...colors are rich and vibrant, with minimal artifacts, film dirt/damage. Also, and thankfully, the Widescreen is anamorphic. Of course, there is the obligatory inclusion of the Standard (aka butchered)Version on the flipside of the disk, for those who haven't made the transition to the CORRECT way that is widescreen. (ok...so maybe that was a little unnecessary)
So if you've possibly not seen or heard of this film and are interested, don't listen to the critics on this one. Give it a try, it's a good time.