The Knack and How to Get It (1965)

Director: Richard Lester
Writers: Charles Wood, Ann Jellicoe
Stars: Rita Tushingham, Ray Brooks, Michael Crawford
Runtime: 84 minutes    

Plot: Desperate to improve his luck with women, London schoolteacher Colin enlists Tolen, a consummate lady-killer. He tries to help Colin get Nancy, but ends up whisking her away on his motorcycle instead, and Colin is determined to get her back.

Review: Colin (Michael Crawford) is an uptight schoolteacher whose housemate, Tolen (Ray Brooks) is a womanizer. Jealous of Tolen's incredible success with the ladies, Colin asks Tolen for advice on how to get a girl. When Tolen's advice doesn't seem very practical, Colin decides that his first order of business is to get a bigger bed. Colin is also trying to find a third roommate to take a spare room. Tom (Donal Donnelly), who seems compelled to paint everything in sight, happens by the house, and inserts himself in the spare room without so much as saying "hello." Nancy (Rita Tushingham) is new in town, and wanders the streets of London in a fruitless search for the YWCA. She runs into Colin and Tom at the dump, they offer her a ride, and proceed to race through London. Eventually, the trio reach Colin's house, where Tolen works his gruff magic on Nancy, and havoc ensues. 

Capturing late 1960s London in black-and-white, Richard Lester's "The Knack. . .and How to Get It" is a brilliant portrayal of youth and personal struggle and is a must watch for youngsters.

Reviewed by Mohaiminul Islam