Review: Shampoo (1975)

Wow, this movie was so BORING. The cast is so impressive, full of actors that I either admire (Jack Warden, Warren Beatty, Lee Grant) or really love (Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn). This movie was quite a big disappointment and I just could not make it out what it was all about or what it wanted to say.
The movie takes place in Los Angeles in 1968 around the presidental election. It's about a hairdresser (Beatty) who keeps humping all of his clients, most of them rich ladies like Felicia Carp (Lee Grant). He also has some kind of a girlfriend (Goldie Hawn) or something like that and an ex-girlfriend (Julie Christie). He also wants to open his own salon and tries to get financial support from Felicia's husband (Warden).
I'm not saying that this is a bad movie and I expected much less from it because I read a review giving 2 points to this movie out of 10. So it was quite a surprise that I actually enjoyed this movie in some scenes, there were some really funny scenes, especially the one when Warren Beatty "makes Julie Christie's hair".
Warren Beatty's performance in the lead is very overrated and self-centered. He's constantly showing how cool and hot he is and that he can sleep with anyone, I think this style of acting is not my thing, even though I like Beatty on a regular basis. I just did not like this performance. And I did not think that I would EVER write this down, but Julie Christie gives a very weak performance, which is really nothing special and except from the scene where she says "I want to suck his c*ck" there's nothing memorable about it.
However the supporting cast saves the show: Goldie Hawn gives nearly the same performance for which she won the Oscar in Cactus Flower, but it still works and sometimes I really felt sorry for her character even though in the beginning I thought she would be the worst part of it.
Jack Warden was also outstanding and gives a truly great comedic performance which was most certainly deserving of the nomination, but a win would have been too much considering his competition (George Burns, Chris Sarandon, Brad Dourif, Burgess Meredith), but I really liked Warden in this.
And finally the Oscar-winner Lee Grant: she shines in her small, but very memorable performance, which is sometimes hilarious ("Is she the one with the ulcer?":D) and in her last scene, simply heartbreaking. She was truly deserving of the Oscar even though when I saw this movie for the first time, I thought she was completely undeserving. But this time I was able to see her brilliance. Unfortunately her win is quite underrated.
I must also add that I'm very disappointed with the direction of Hal Ashby, because I expected much much much more from him.
But to sum up this was not a horrible movie just a mediocore one which is sometimes enjoyable and sometimes intolerable.
My grade: 5.5/10
Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Jack Warden); Best Supporting Actress (Lee Grant, WON), Best Original Screenplay; Best Art Direction