Little Murders on AllMovie

Hilarity alternates with appalling disasters and violence in this disturbing comedy scripted by cartoonist Jules Feiffer, based on his stage play of the same name. This film represents well-known actor Alan Arkin's first time out as a movie director. The story concerns news photographer Alfred Chamberlain (Elliott Gould) who is unable to feel anything. He is ambivalent about whether this is a great advantage or something to blame his mother for. This begins to change when Patsy Newquist (Marcia Rodd) comes into his life. Alfred tries to get her to follow his philosophy of indifference and apathy while she and her family of oddballs, including her father (Vincent Gardenia), advocate joining the world's insanity. Highlights include vignettes of Donald Sutherland as a slick minister and of Lou Jacobi as a judge. Arkin shows up in front of the camera briefly as a police detective.