In this sexual melodrama—where the flow of bad language was new at the time—Liz is the dark heroine, a passionate woman who listens to blaring rock; Susannah York is the misty-eyed fair heroine, all prissy decorum, who listens to dignified classical music… Paunchy Michael Caine is the man between… The contest is merely an excuse for Liz, as the randy wife of a straying husband, to bask in the vulgarity she has such contagious fun with…

Like Maggie the Cat, Liz-Zee is determined to ensnare her man, even going so far as to seduce her rival… Taylor's embrace of Susannah York is awfully tentative, altogether lacking the fervor of her attentions to Lassie or Paul Newman or Montgomery Clift…

Overwritten but entertaining, this sexual melodrama is a blatant and hollow confection… Two hours of relentless bitching by Liz, it's a valentine to her fans, a good-natured send-up of her earth mother, sex goddess image

X, Y and Zee is one of those rare films that can be perceived differently now than when it was originally released and be more enjoyable. However, one has to be in the right frame of mind. As a straight drama, it can be trite, uneven and a bit preposterous. But viewed as a kind of fascinating cultural time capsule with an over-the-top performance by Elizabeth Taylor as the scorned wife of a philandering Michael Caine, it can actually be quite entertaining and even hilarious. Never has any woman tried so hard to keep her man in the face of dire circumstances while simultaneously wreaking havoc on just about everyone. X, Y and Zee is a strange little film, but if you're a Taylor fan and don't mind overlooking a few flaws, you might find it quite entertaining and amusing. One thing for sure...this film belongs to Taylor; without her, it would be nothing.

X,Y&Z stars that romantic trio of Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, and Susannah York. I'm thinking Richard Burton must have been working on another project so Michael Caine was substituted in a part that seemed clearly written for Burton.

Caine and Taylor are a pair of married somethings who are starting to look a lot like George and Martha from Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. That would be another 20 years or so. At the moment they still have a lot of life and lovers to experience.

But for reasons not fully explained Taylor resents York, a widow with two small children far more than any of the others Caine has had. She no doubts sees a slightly younger version of herself. It really is because while the two women are having a most civilized lunch to amicably dispose of the matter of Caine, York says something to Taylor that really reminds her of herself. Something that later Taylor uses to her advantage. At the end we don't really know what's in store for this triangle.

Caine and Taylor have the showier roles, but York gives a nice understated performance. Not one hint of the end I will reveal, but it really does kind of blow Caine's mind.

I'm sure this had Richard Burton in mind originally. Watch and see if you don't agree.