California Suite (1978)

In the heart of the sun-kissed, glamorous city of Los Angeles resides the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel. It's within these luxurious walls that the enchanting narratives of four distinctive sets of guests intertwine in the captivating movie, "California Suite" (1978). Elegantly traversing the Atlantic, Diane Barrie (Dame Maggie Smith), a classically trained British actress, and her antiquarian husband Sidney Cochran (Sir Michael Caine) arrive to grace the Oscar ceremony. Nominated for her first Best Actress Oscar for a film she dismisses as a frivolous comedy, Diane grapples with anticipatory nerves while confronting the unspoken fissures plaguing her marriage to Sidney. Simultaneously, hardened New Yorker Hannah Warren (Jane Fonda) steps into the hotel, hoping to reconcile with her California-based ex-husband Bill Warren (Alan Alda), a laidback screenwriter. Their daughter Jenny (Dana Plato), who lives with Bill, becomes the focal point of their heated discussions. Their contrasting temperaments flare, highlighting the chasm between Hannah's intellectual rigidity and Bill's embodiment of the relaxed California lifestyle. On the other side of the hotel, the seemingly stable marriage of Philadelphia-natives Marvin (Walter Matthau) and Millie Michaels (Elaine May) hangs in the balance. In town for their nephew's bar mitzvah, Marvin's secret tucked away in his bed threatens to shatter their marital bliss upon Millie's arrival. Lastly, the hotel's chaos escalates when traveling companions, Dr. Chauncey Gump (Richard Pryor) and Lola Gump (Gloria Gifford), along with Dr. Willis Panama (Bill Cosby) and Bettina Panama (Sheila Frazier) find their reservations lost amidst the Oscar frenzy. Their road trip vacation spirals into a comedy of errors as they grapple with the ensuing chaos. In a mélange of drama, comedy, and heartwarming moments, "California Suite" serves four distinct stories of love, life, and the inescapable chaos that follows. Each narrative, though separate, finds unity within the grandeur of the Beverly Hills Hotel, painting a vibrant tableau of human experience set against the backdrop of the Californian dream.

California Suite is a comedy movie featuring Jane Fonda.

California Suite is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Tubi TV.

It is also possible to buy California Suite on Amazon Video, Apple TV, DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Vudu and YouTube or rent it on Spectrum On Demand.