{"id":8847,"date":"2009-08-06T16:06:55","date_gmt":"2009-08-06T23:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8847"},"modified":"2022-09-10T00:22:09","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T07:22:09","slug":"get-to-know-your-rabbit-1972","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8847","title":{"rendered":"Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;To work that hard would be unfair to your rabbit &#8211; but I can see that you&#8217;re sincere.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-to-Know-Your-Rabbit-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-to-Know-Your-Rabbit-Poster-195x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-58724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-to-Know-Your-Rabbit-Poster-195x300.png 195w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-to-Know-Your-Rabbit-Poster-666x1024.png 666w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-to-Know-Your-Rabbit-Poster-83x128.png 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-to-Know-Your-Rabbit-Poster-176x270.png 176w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-to-Know-Your-Rabbit-Poster.png 717w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA burned-out executive (Tom Smothers) escapes from his job and studies with a famed instructor (Orson Welles) to become a tap-dancing magician. When his former colleague (John Astin) shows up at his doorstep desperate for work, Smothers hires him as his manager &#8212; with unexpected results.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Allen Garfield Films<\/li>\n<li>Black Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Brian De Palma Films<\/li>\n<li>Character Arc<\/li>\n<li>Katharine Ross Films<\/li>\n<li>Magicians<\/li>\n<li>Nonconformists<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Get to Know Your Rabbit<\/em> was Brian De Palma&#8217;s final comedy before he turned to making the Hitchockian and\/or supernatural thrillers &#8212; <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=69541\"><em>Sisters<\/em> (1972)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32268\"><em>Carrie<\/em> (1976)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=70179\"><em>Dressed to Kill<\/em> (1980)<\/a> &#8212; he&#8217;s best known for. While it&#8217;s little-seen these days, <em>&#8230;Rabbit<\/em> deserves a wider audience: it&#8217;s consistently clever and surreally anarchic. Stand-up comedian Tom Smothers is perfectly cast as an overworked business executive who seemingly &#8220;has it all&#8221; &#8212; money, a gorgeous apartment, a willing girlfriend (Susanne Zenor) &#8212; but leaves all this behind to pursue his <em>real<\/em> passion in life. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYR-Breakfast.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYR-Breakfast.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYR-Breakfast.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYR-Breakfast-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYR-Breakfast-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYR-Breakfast-503x270.png 503w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>From the opening sequence, in which both Smothers and his assistant (a delightful John Astin) distractedly ignore a phone call warning that a bomb is about to go off in their building, to Smothers&#8217; equally bizarre encounter shortly thereafter with an overly solicitous piano tuner, it&#8217;s clear that Jordan Crittenden&#8217;s screenplay will continue to take us in decidedly unexpected directions. <\/p>\n<p>Indeed, it&#8217;s refreshing to watch a counter-cultural story so grounded in satirical &#8220;mainstream&#8221; reality: Smothers doesn&#8217;t (as predicted) go off to drop out and smoke pot; instead, he very much has a real working alternative in mind, one he knows will provide him with the &#8220;seedy&#8221; lifestyle he truly craves. As fate would have it, he turns out to be a pretty dismal magician (though this doesn&#8217;t deter him in the slightest); fortunately we&#8217;re spared from seeing him perform all that often. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-To-Know-Your-Rabbit-Smothers-Magician.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-To-Know-Your-Rabbit-Smothers-Magician.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58730\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-To-Know-Your-Rabbit-Smothers-Magician.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-To-Know-Your-Rabbit-Smothers-Magician-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-To-Know-Your-Rabbit-Smothers-Magician-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Get-To-Know-Your-Rabbit-Smothers-Magician-503x270.png 503w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Instead, two different subplots unfold: in one, Smothers woos a nameless &#8220;terrific-looking girl&#8221; (Katharine Ross) who&#8217;s fallen head-over-heels for his &#8220;heroic&#8221; hands; in the other, Astin pursues a relentless drive to build up a new company around Smothers&#8217; anarchic notion of &#8220;living life from the gut level&#8221;. Naturally, the two stories eventually collide, resulting in a most satisfying conclusion to a bizarrely entertaining fairytale. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Be forewarned that Welles&#8217; role is essentially a cameo &#8212; he only shows up in a few scenes, and then disappears forever.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYNR-Magic.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYNR-Magic.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYNR-Magic.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYNR-Magic-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYNR-Magic-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/GTKYNR-Magic-503x270.png 503w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tom Smothers as Donald Beeman<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyr-smothers.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyr-smothers.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"343\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8850\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Astin as Mr. Turnbull<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyb-astin.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyb-astin.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"343\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8851\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Katharine Ross as the &#8220;Terrific-Looking Girl&#8221; who falls for Beeman<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyr-ross.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyr-ross.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"343\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8852\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>De Palma&#8217;s unique directorial touch<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyr-opening.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyr-opening.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"343\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8853\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jordan Crittenden&#8217;s surreally humorous screenplay<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyr-surreal.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/gtkyr-surreal.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"343\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8854\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a distinctive early picture by De Palma.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0068637\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1973\/09\/21\/archives\/film-anarchic-comedybelated-bow-for-get-to-know-your-rabbit-the.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moria.co.nz\/index.php?option=com_content&#038;task=view&#038;id=1591Itemid=1\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;To work that hard would be unfair to your rabbit &#8211; but I can see that you&#8217;re sincere.&#8221; Synopsis: A burned-out executive (Tom Smothers) escapes from his job and studies with a famed instructor (Orson Welles) to become a tap-dancing magician. When his former colleague (John Astin) shows up at his doorstep desperate for work, Smothers hires him as his manager &#8212; with unexpected results. Genres: Allen Garfield Films Black Comedy Brian De Palma Films Character Arc Katharine Ross Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8847\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8847"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87142,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8847\/revisions\/87142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}