Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

brefane Despite it's subject matter, Carnal Knowledge directed by Mike Nichols from a script by cartoonist Jules Feiffer is a dud without a single likable or really interesting character. Nicholson's grating, Bergen lame and simpering, Ann-Margret more tiresome than the role calls for and non-actor Art Garfunkal keeps his head above water more or less. In support, a worn looking Rita Moreno has a good bit as a prostitute, Carol Kane cast for her freakish appearance says nothing and Cynthia O'Neal is repellently smug. Nichols' film is a series of cartoon panels with no sense of any life surrounding the characters. Nichols appears to have been influenced by the films of Bergman and Antonioni though he lacks their brilliance. The result is a dim view of human relationships that is unpleasant and pointless.

grantss Goodish, but not great. Explores the relationship mores of the 60s and 70s and comes up with some interesting observations. However, the observations often feel one-dimensional, judgemental and superficial. Plot starts very slowly, so much so I was going to give up on the movie after 15-20 minutes. However, the middle section is good, especially the interactions between Jack Nicholson and Ann-Margret. Some holes and missing information in the plot though. Ending feels anti-climactic, and, once again, one-dimensional.Good performances from Jack Nicholson, Art Gurfunkel and Ann-Margret, who received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance. Garfunkel's performance was better than expected.

MartinHafer This movie follows two men from college to middle age--with a strong emphasis on love, sex and relationships. Both men are VERY different. One (Art Garfunkle) is pretty conventional--and eventually becomes disenchanted with normal life. The other (Jack Nicholson) is very unconventional for the time--a man who loves sex but is afraid of any depth in his relationships."Carnal Knowledge" was a rather unusual film in 1971. While rated-R films and sex were becoming the norms in Hollywood films, few films were as blunt as this one. The film is peppered with the f-word and is about sex---unapologetically so. However, despite some nudity and shocks here and there, it's amazing how uninvolved I felt while watching it. Perhaps it was because the two main characters were so unlikable. All I know is that I just didn't care much for them or the film. So, despite some decent acting (particularly by Ann-Margret) and an interesting idea about men and their relationships, the film comes off as amazingly dull. Well made...but a bit dull.

sol1218 ***SPOILERS*** Were introduced to the movie with the cool and sexy sounds of Glenn Miller's classic "Moonlight Serenade" as we see these two wild crazy and mostly horny collage guys Jonathan & Sandy, Jack Nicholson & Art Garfunkel, talking about sex and how to get it on campus by being both cool and with it with all the co-ed's available there. The very with it and confident Johathan is giving pointers to his friend the introverted and shy Sandy in how to pick up girls with him having his eye glued on pretty Susan,Candy Bergen, who's sitting alone at this very boring get together at the main collage dorm. Sandy who tries to make small talk with Susan is too shy and clumsy to open his mouth so it's Susan who starts up the conversation between the two.Before you know it both Sandy and Susan are going study with Jonathan, who wanted nothing at first to do with Susan, feeling left out in the cold. It's later that the very experienced Jonathan beats Sandy to Susan by deflowering her behind Sandy's back which in fact, in Jonathan's animal like behavior, draws her closer to the far more sensitive and feeling her pain Sandy. The film then goes some ten to 15 years into the future to the 1960's during the free love era where everything goes and it's the free and available bachelor, as well as tax and financial lawyer, Jonathan who's getting all the free love, and in some cases paying for it, with Sandy, My Son the Doctor and Gynecologist, now married to Susan and missing out on all the fun.By now the very sexually active Jonathan has gotten bored of all this sex he's been having and has cut down his yearly affairs, with different women, to about a dozen but is still looking for the women in his life that can keep him young and going strong ,in the sex department, until he's ready for the grave. That woman of his dreams turns out to be the sexy and flaming redhead and model Bobbie, Ann-Margaret, who ends up quitting her very high-paying job on TV commercials and shacks up with Jonathan in his bachelor pad in midtown Manhattan. It' not that long that Jonathan loses interest in Bobbie which turns her into a pill popping zombie sleeping as much as 18 to 20 hours a day and becoming addicted to dangerous and life threatening barbiturates. Sandy who had since broke up with Susan is now married to the bull-dike like Cindy, Cynthia O'Neal, who unlike the very sweet and womanly Susan wears the paths in the family.Things come to a head between Jonathan and Bobbie when after a very violet spat or fight between the two, over making the bed and sweeping out the apartment, that Sandy & Cindy show up to party. Jonathan trying to hid what's been happening between him and Bobbie comes up with this bright idea for him and Sandy to swap wives, a very popular thing among swinging couples back then, so that everyone can loosen up and release their pent up emotions. It's a moment later when a very willing Cindy, in going to bed with him, tells Jonathon that if her wimpy spouse Sandy lays as much as a hand on Bobbie he can forget to go back home that he realizes what a big mistake he made. That mistake was intensified when Sandy instead of having anything to do sexually with Bobbie calls the nearest hospital emergency ward after finding her in bed almost dead from an overdose of sleeping pills!It's now 1970 and both Jonathan and Sandy together with his now live in lover as well as love teacher the 18 year old hippie Jennifer, Carol Kane, are watching a slide show of Jonathan's many sexual conquests which included, and which slide he quickly withdrew, Sandy's first wife Susan. Not at all impressed in what Jonathan has to show them both Sandy and Jennifer leave him alone, the guy gives off such bad vibrations Sandy tells him, to his fantasies of years gone by. ***SPOILERS*** It's the final few minutes of the film that really shook me up in Jonathan having this hooker Louise, Rita Mereno,show up at his pad to pump up his both ego and now almost completely gone sexual drive. With Louise looking, with the camera panning up and down exclusively at her hypnotic like face, like a cobra or black mamba rising from the ground and about to strike Jonathan now all heated up and excited finally seems to have gotten his Mojo back and is ready to jump into action just like back in the good old days. But as we and Jonathan sadly know it's only his imagination not his body that's capable of doing that!