Husbands (1970) on Netflix

PG-1319702h 11mComedy Drama

Three suburban husbands and old friends, Gus, Harry and Archie, learn that their friend Stuart has died of a heart attack. The loss forces them to face the youth they cannot keep.

Netflix3.1/5
IMDb7.0/108,266 votes
Rotten Tomatoes65%

Trailer

Watch the trailer on YouTube

Plot summary

Gus, Harry and Archie met in their school days and have stayed close ever since. All three are married professional men with families in suburban New York. Their best friend Stuart dies of a sudden heart attack, and after the funeral the three stay together for two days, shooting baskets, riding the subway and drinking, with a singing contest in a bar. Stuart's death leaves them mourning not only him but their own lost sense of immortality. Their drive and success have not preserved the youth they watched fade, and they know that their families and their jobs are waiting for them.

Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Husbands (1970)

Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.

Cassavetes cut around 85 minutes of footage to bring the film down to its contractual requirement of 140 minutes, and after release distributor Columbia Pictures cut a further 11 minutes in response to negative reviews and audience walkouts.
On September 18, 1970, Cassavetes, Falk and Gazzara appeared on The Dick Cavett Show ostensibly to promote Husbands, but actively avoided almost every question Cavett asked about the film, and later admitted to drinking alcohol before the show.
Peter Falk said Cassavetes asked him to appear in Husbands at a lunch meeting, one where Cassavetes in turn agreed to appear with Falk in the 1976 Elaine May film Mikey and Nicky.
A scene between Archie and Julie was improvised in a hotel room, with Cassavetes himself at the camera and no other crew present in the room.
Cassavetes said this was a very personal film for him, having experienced the loss of a loved one after his older brother died at the age of 30.