A New Leaf (1971‪)‬ Reel Rap

Elaine May’s time in the hot seat begins with her impeccable directorial debut

Reel Rap pivots to Elaine May’s filmography in this week’s episode. May stars in her 1971 directorial debut, A New Leaf, alongside Walter Matthau in the high-society comedy about a rich man who goes broke and decides the quickest way to rebuild his fortune is marry a rich woman (May) and kill her. Shane and Bennett marvel at May’s near-perfect comedic timing on script and screen, the film’s ability to bounce between beats and how quickly May and Nichols both became technically advanced directors.

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