Set in the 24-hour period in 1968 when American voters would put Richard Nixon in the White House, a harried and befuddled hairdresser (Warren Beatty) seeks a loan from his mistress’ husband (Jack Warden) to open his own salon, while avoiding the women he’s seduced (Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Lee Grant, Carrie Fisher) in this commentary on tangled sexual politics and morality.

Directed by Hal Ashby, from an original screenplay by Robert Towne & Beatty, and not featuring much in the way of story, Shampoo comes across like it was sketched out on a cocktail napkin at a party. This is good, and not so good.

The film sets some good atmosphere in a day in the life of a Beverly Hills lothario. The first hour concerns Beatty – who is amusing, if not laugh out loud funny, from start to finish – refusing to answer questions posed by the women in his life. The question of what this guy wants, money, the American dream, love, seems to baffle Beatty’s character to the point of withdrawal.

The lack of a coherent narrative demands us to grasp for a message or point on our own. My guess would be that the film is commenting on the moral decay Vietnam and Watergate would usher in for the rest of the country. As if hairdressers and their girlfriends had no control over their own lives and had Tricky Dick to blame for their relationship and career woes.

Robert Towne can write an intricately constructed story when his heart is in the material (Chinatown, Greystroke) but taking Beatty’s intellectualized concepts about sex and politics and trying to make a movie out of them appear to have proven difficult. The film is easy to appreciate due to Ashby’s involvement and the work of his cast, but difficult to enjoy.

Nominated for four Academy Awards, Lee Grant was honored for her supporting performance as Beatty’s put-upon mistress. Paul Simon contributed a couple of original songs, though The Beatles fill most of the soundtrack.