The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)

A sweet coming-of-age story from the late 1960s that seems as if it belongs to an earlier, more innocent era, The Sterile Cuckoo stars Liza Minnelli as an awkward but gregarious college girl who is determined to have her first sexual experience with a shy, naïve young man (played by Wendell Burton). Director Alan J. Pakula, in his debut film, shows flashes of brilliance in squeezing all the energy he can out of a predictable plot. Minnelli stepped out of the shadow of her mother, Judy Garland, and made a dramatic impact in her first major starring role. Minnelli and the film's theme song, "Come Saturday Morning," both received Oscar nominations, and Minnelli went on to fame in Cabaret. Pakula went on to Klute, All the President's Men, and other topical dramas and character studies. In England, The Sterile Cuckoo was titled Pookie. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide