Sweet Bird of Youth
1962·Drama·2h
7.1
★
Gigolo and drifter Chance Wayne returns to his hometown as the companion of a faded movie star, Alexandra Del Lago, whom he hopes to use to help him break into the movies. Chance runs into trouble when he finds his ex-girlfriend, the daughter of the local politician Tom "Boss" Finley, who more or less forced him to leave his daughter and the town many years ago.
Directed by Richard Brooks
florida
gigolo
based on play or musical
womanizer
drifter
corrupt politician
movie star
fading star
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Paul Newman
Chance Wayne
Geraldine Page
Alexandra Del Lago
Shirley Knight
Heavenly Finley
Ed Begley
Tom 'Boss' Finley
Rip Torn
Tom Finley Jr.
Mildred Dunnock
Aunt Nonnie
Madeleine Sherwood
Miss Lucy
Philip Abbott
George Scudder
Corey Allen
Scotty
Dub Taylor
Dan Hatcher
James Douglas
Leroy
Barry Atwater
Ben Jackson
Crew
Richard Brooks
Director
Richard Brooks
Screenplay
Milton Krasner
Director of Photography
Pandro S. Berman
Producer
William Tuttle
Makeup Artist
Tennessee Williams
Theatre Play
Charles Bail
Stunts
Sydney Guilaroff
Hairstylist
Orry-Kelly
Costume Design
Popular Reviews
22 reviews
shante
6.0★ · 03/25/26
more enthralled by the cycle of denial, defeat, and acceptance within the characters rather than the love plot which only slight propels it. there’s hardly any chemistry between chance and heavenly (they really only have a few moments on screen) but with those, i feel essentially nothing lol
more enthralled by the cycle of denial, defeat, and acceptance within the characters rather than the love plot which only slight propels it. there’s hardly any chemistry between chance and heavenly (they really only have a few moments on screen) but with those, i feel essentially nothing lol
olivia
8.0★ · 01/20/26
there’s definitely parts of this that drag, but over all pretty good #iwantpaulnewman
there’s definitely parts of this that drag, but over all pretty good #iwantpaulnewman
hunt
8.0★ · 10/20/25
rating it 4 stars instead of 3.5 for Very Normal Reasons
rating it 4 stars instead of 3.5 for Very Normal Reasons
mimi
8.0★ · 07/12/25
"Their jobs would be waiting for them. My trade was youth. War either makes you age fast or die fast."
"Their jobs would be waiting for them. My trade was youth. War either makes you age fast or die fast."
Alex DeMarco
5.8★ · 07/03/25
"Princess, each of us has his own private hell to go to." Sweet Bird of Youth features a very interesting premise and huge potential, but its conflicted plot and ending prevent it from reaching maximum capacity. The plot of this movie is definitely very interesting, and it kept me engrossed in it; however, the problem is that this movie is trying to be two things at the same time. On one hand, it is a story of manipulation and greed and on the other it is one of lust and yearning love. In the end, the movie struggle balancing these two elements and at time it felt like they detracted from each other. I liked the acting across the board, especially from Geraldine Page. Paul Newman gave his usual terrific performance. Overall, without the conflicting plot lines and tangencies, this film would have been a solid, searing piece of melodrama with the acting to go along with it.
"Princess, each of us has his own private hell to go to." Sweet Bird of Youth features a very interesting premise and huge potential, but its conflicted plot and ending prevent it from reaching maximum capacity. The plot of this movie is definitely very interesting, and it kept me engrossed in it; however, the problem is that this movie is trying to be two things at the same time. On one hand, it is a story of manipulation and greed and on the other it is one of lust and yearning love. In the end, the movie struggle balancing these two elements and at time it felt like they detracted from each other. I liked the acting across the board, especially from Geraldine Page. Paul Newman gave his usual terrific performance. Overall, without the conflicting plot lines and tangencies, this film would have been a solid, searing piece of melodrama with the acting to go along with it.