Friday A/V Club: The Contested Convention You Were Promised
Robert Altman's spoof of political conventions

Since we're squeezed between two political conventions this weekend, I thought I'd post HealtH, a Robert Altman satire from 1980 that has yet to get a proper home-video release. The film is about the backroom machinations at a health-food convention, where a group called "Happiness, Energy, and Longevity Through Health" is selecting a new president. It's uneven but enjoyable in that sprawling Altman way—or at least I think it's enjoyable. Ronald Reagan once called it "the world's worst movie."
(For past editions of the Friday A/V Club, go here. For another Altman rarity, go here.)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post comments
Ronald Reagan once called it “the world’s worst movie.”
And the star of Bedtime for Bonzo would know from terrible movies!
I had to check IMDb to be sure that there were no Altman movies I liked, but I forgot that he directed the Long Goodbye, and I liked parts of Popeye.
You didn’t like MASH?
I haven’t seen it. I’m afraid that so many years of the TV show will skew my perception of the characters.
It is really funny and really well done, and Alan Alda is not in it.
See it. It’s an amazingly good movie
+1 bet she ain’t a natural blonde.
Alright, I added it to my queue. I just hope the guy who plays Radar in the movie is better than the guy who plays him on the show.
It’s worth watching just for the football game and the Painless Waldowski scene. And a mustachioed Elliott Gould.
Hate to tell you this, but it’s the same actor (Gary Burghoff). I believe he was the only actor to appear in both the movie and the TV show. I think the role is minor enough it won’t interfere with the rest of the movie.
Only Radar and General Hammond are played by the same person in both the movie and the TV show.
The movie and the TV show are quite different, though.
Don’t listen to these people. I thought it was pretty awful. Overrated.
Fuck The Long Goodbye. It takes a perfectly good story and puts a whole bunch of stupid 70s schtick over it.
Yeah but on the other hand Elliot Gould.
Yes, he throws the movie up on his back and carries it.
Ronald Reagan once called it “the world’s worst movie.”
Altman can sometimes be patently awful, other times interesting. I’ve never heard of this movie so now I’m curious.
California Split may be one of my favorites. A Prarie Home Companion may have been the most pointless and annoying.
The most pointless and annoying is Beyond Therapy. Altman is one of my favorite directors, but the only thing interesting about that one is how relentlessly bad it managed to be.
I’d take you up on that challenge by watching Beyond Therapy but I’m terrified that you’re correct about it being more pointless and annoying than Prarie, so I’ll pass.
It was Lindsay Lohan’s opus, Paul.
Oh, and Altman thoroughly pissed off Warren Beatty and even let Warren Beatty briefly take over the filming of McCabe and Mrs. Miller with empty cameras (unbeknownst to Beatty).
Beatty was so thoroughly annoyed he apparently never discusses or mentions McCabe in public.
So no matter what you think of Altman’s movies, Altman isn’t all bad.
Reagan obviously never saw “The Blair Witch Project”.
Another good thing about Altman films is it helps you remember (or learn) just how awful fashion was in the ’70s.
The Player is a great example of horrible 90s fashion.
It’s much like your closet in that way.
Lots of gays in it?
That way, too.
My Zubaz are trendy again, L.A. Gear is making a comeback, and my guess is No Fear is on the way.
You do NOT want to see these pants coming at you in a roundhouse kick…
I actually saw a No Fear decal on the back of some guy’s truck the other day. Not sure if it was original or ironic or what.
That settles it. Time to get all my Big Johnson t-shirts out of storage!
Dave Lindelof showed me HealtH on video. It was pretty good, not uproarious.