A quirky, occasionally funny, but ultimately tedious film from the late sixties featuring Burton, Starr, Coburn, and Brando. Released during the Christmas season of 1968, “Candy” presented itself as a satirical take on a literary classic—a tactic producers likely employed to argue for its social merit and deflect accusations of pornography, which was the marketing angle used to attract male audiences. However, it failed at the box office and rightfully so. The central figure in the story (Ewa Aulin) is essentially a female, 1960s version of Voltaire’s Candide, encountering various unpleasant and deceptive individuals throughout her journey while somehow maintaining her innocence. Writers Terry Southern (book) and Buck Henry (screenplay) transformed this character into a young woman and amplified the episodes with sexual content, which sparked controversy at the time. The experiences she has involve several well-known actors of that era. Essentially, Candy is an innocent and charming teenager who is repeatedly seduced by various societal influences: romanticism (Richard Burton), patriotism (Walter Matthau), professionalism (James Coburn), and mysticism (Marlon Brando); I’m not certain what ideology Ringo Starr's character represents (perhaps ethnic-ism?). There’s also coercive manipulation, compassion, and the allure of fame. These institutions and the positions they hold within society are questionable and exploited to entice women. Ultimately, this is a picaresque comedy that capitalizes on the excesses, mistakes, and fantastical elements of the mid-to-late 1960s. It’s a campy, kitschy film from that period that tries to be magical but falls short because it's incredibly boring, despite a few genuinely amusing moments, a strong cast, and the protagonist’s naive beauty (who resembles a combination of Tuesday Weld and Britt Ekland). Marlon Brando’s entertaining guru in the final act might just make the price of admission worthwhile. He was in excellent shape and looked better than he would for many years to come, before his weight increased noticeably in the 70s and 80s. Regarding the rumor that the movie was pornographic, there's some playful suggestive content and mild nudity, but nothing truly scandalous. It’s fairly harmless overall. The film has a running time of 1 hour, 55 minutes and was filmed in New York City and Rome, Lazio, Italy. GRADE: C-

Source on TMDB