Philip Roth's novella has been adapted for the screen by Arnold Schulman and directed by Larry Peerce. The drama centers around the difficult relationship between Neil Klugman (Richard Benjamin), a wry librarian from the Bronx who left college, and Brenda (Ali McGraw), a member of the sleek and chic set. He comes for a two-week visit to her rich Jewish parent's mansion in Westchester during her vacation from Radcliffe. They gambol in her bedroom while the rest of the family sleeps. Neil endures her uptight mother (Nan Martin), her super-athletic brother (Michael Meyers), and her spoiled younger sister (Lori Shelle). Brenda endures his sarcastic wit, scorn for her friends, and defensiveness. This summertime love affair isn't all brightness and light.
This film artfully conveys the cultural clashes that widen into an abyss. When Brenda returns to Radcliffe, her parents find the diaphragm she forgot to hide. Her father spurs her rueful separation from Neil. She is able to retrain her devotion to the family and their consumer values, and Neil clings even more fervently to his irradicable bitterness. The film explores the so-called new morality of the 1960s and the always human quest to link sexuality with love. Attached to this weighty theme are subsidiary ones including parental authority, guilt, and freedom.
