California Split (1974)
Probably the strangest and most divisive movie on this list, Robert Altman’s poker comedy-drama follows shambling, lovable ne’er-do-wells Bill Denny (George Segal) and Charlie Waters (Elliott Gould) as they hold meandering, overlapping conversations and get deeper and deeper into gambling.
Steven Spielberg planned to direct at one point, and if you like Paul Thomas Anderson movies, you’ll probably like this: you can see its influence in PTA films from Hard Eight to Licorice Pizza. And PTA famously stood by as a backup director for the aging Altman as he made his final film, 2006’s A Prairie Home Companion.
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