Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- sardonic
- breezy
- classic movie night
- date night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's performances, screenplay, and sophisticated New Hollywood social satire, though some found its timing and emotional payoff uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
George's overlapping relationships connect a hairdresser, his clients, their spouses, and lovers in a critique of privileged romantic hypocrisy.
The characters' private crises unfold on November 4, 1968, immediately before a presidential election that symbolizes broader national change.
George seeks financing for his own salon while struggling to become emotionally accountable to the women around him.
The Beverly Hills parties, salon interiors, and affluent homes frame candid relationship conflicts without abandoning a sleek period-comedy surface.
Films like Shampoo, and why
The Last of Sheila
satirical relationship comedy, ensemble romantic entanglements, and incisive observation of affluent social worlds
The Graduate
new hollywood comedy-drama with sexual confusion, shifting romantic loyalties, and a charismatic but flawed central figure
An Unmarried Woman
witty adult romantic comedy focused on infidelity, emotional dependency, and changing social mores
The Ice Storm
ensemble relationship satire shaped by urban sophistication, comic discomfort, and emotional ambivalence
Movie Details
- Director
- Hal Ashby
- Release Date
- 1975-02-11
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (249)
Cast
- Warren Beatty
- Julie Christie
- Goldie Hawn
- Lee Grant
- Jack Warden
- Tony Bill
- George Furth
- Jay Robinson
- Ann Weldon
- Luana Anders
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shampoo about?
- A seductive Beverly Hills hairdresser tries to turn his tangled love life and stalled ambitions into adulthood on the eve of a transformative election.
- What is Shampoo like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shampoo as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Shampoo violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Shampoo.
- What did critics think of Shampoo?
- Critics broadly admired the film's performances, screenplay, and sophisticated New Hollywood social satire, though some found its timing and emotional payoff uneven.
- Which films are like Shampoo?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last of Sheila, The Graduate, An Unmarried Woman, and The Ice Storm.
- How long is Shampoo?
- Shampoo runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shampoo?
- In United States, Shampoo streams on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
