What’s New Pussycat? 1965
Directed by
Clive Donner
Made by
Famous Artists Productions
What’s New Pussycat? Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for What’s New Pussycat? (1965). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Notorious womanizer Michael James, Peter O’Toole, wants to be faithful to his fiancée Carole Werner, Romy Schneider, but almost every woman he meets is drawn to him. Among them is Liz Bien, Paula Prentiss, a neurotic exotic dancer, and Rita, Ursula Andress, a parachutist who accidentally lands in his car. His psychoanalyst, Dr. Fritz Fassbender, Peter Sellers, struggles to help, since he himself is pursuing patient Renée Lefebvre, Capucine, who longs for Michael. Carole, meanwhile, decides to provoke jealousy by flirting with his nervous friend Victor Shakapopulis, Woody Allen. Victor, awkward in romance, is nonetheless drawn into Carole’s feigned interest.
Fassbender continues his group therapy with neurotics and obsessives, and the sessions grow increasingly strange—one even features an indoor cricket match. Michael envisions a delirious fantasy in which every woman he has known stacks the attention on him, each listing the places they had sex. One night, Fassbender heads to the Seine, rows out in a boat filled with kerosene, and wraps himself in the Norwegian flag, preparing to die in a Viking funeral. Victor sits nearby at a small dining table and asks what he is doing; distracted, Fassbender abandons the suicide plan and begins dispensing advice to Victor. The twist reveals that Fassbender, despite his professional aura, is married with three children, adding a layer of irony to his relentless pursuit of romance.
Meanwhile Carole’s plan seems to work, and Michael agrees to marry within the week. She moves in with him, but fidelity proves elusive. When Liz introduces herself as Michael’s fiancée, Carole grows indignant. At the same time, Rita parachutes into Michael’s open-top sports car and the pair check into a small country hotel, though he resists her advances. Gradually, all participants converge on the hotel—Carole’s parents wander the corridors, and Michael makes his rounds from room to room. A rumor spreads that an orgy is taking place, drawing in side characters such as the petrol station attendant. Carole arrives to see Michael’s room, and as they converse, the others chase each other through the background. Fassbender’s overbearing wife, Anna Fassbender, Eddra Gale, tracks him down in the melee.
Everyone ends up in Michael’s room with many of the women half-naked, as the police line forms outside. Anna, dressed as a valkyrie and armed with a spear, leads the group through the police cordon, and they escape to a go-kart circuit. They race away, then divert to a farmyard, slip through narrow village streets on the go-karts, and return to the circuit. In a later twist, the Mayor, Le Maire Richard Saint-Bris, marries Michael and Carole in a civil ceremony, but the moment of signing the marriage certificate is overshadowed when Michael callously greets the young registrar with “Pussycat,” infuriating Carole. As the dust settles, Fassbender reappears, and the therapist makes a final, if uncertain, effort to court Carole instead.
What’s New Pussycat? Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of What’s New Pussycat? (1965) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Michael vows to be faithful
Notorious womanizer Michael James resolves to stay faithful to his fiancée Carole Werner. He soon finds that the very appeal he hopes to curb seems to draw in other women just as quickly. The setup establishes the conflict between his intentions and his seductive reality.
Women are drawn to Michael; Dr. Fassbender unable to help
Michael magnets attract Liz Bien and Rita, while his psychoanalyst Fassbender remains unable to restore his client’s loyalty to Carole. Fassbender himself is entangled with patient Renée Lefebvre who longs for Michael. The dynamic threads show how desire swirls around him despite his vows.
Carole schemes to provoke jealousy
Carole decides to make Michael jealous by flirting with his nervous friend Victor Shakapopulis. Her playful manipulation sets up a competing lure that could complicate their engagement. The dynamic raises the stakes for Michael’s attempted fidelity.
Fassbender's group sessions grow stranger
Fassbender continues his group meetings with neurotics and obsessives, and the sessions become increasingly odd. The events even include an indoors cricket match as a surreal distraction. The doctor’s outside life remains murky, with hints of his own marriage.
Michael’s dream of his conquests
Michael dreams that all of his sexual conquests bombard him for attention at once. The dream lists the places where he supposedly slept with them, underscoring the chaos behind his charming exterior. The vision foreshadows the trouble his candid relationships will cause.
Fassbender contemplates suicide at the Seine
One night, Fassbender goes to the Seine, plans a Viking funeral by filling a rowing boat with kerosene and wrapping himself in the Norwegian flag. Victor moments later distracts him, and Fassbender forgets his plan to die and starts giving Victor dating advice. It’s revealed he is married with three children.
Michael proposes; Carole agrees
Carole’s scheme appears to work as Michael asks to marry her. She agrees and they decide to marry within the week. The tension between romance and fidelity continues to strain the couple.
Carole moves in; Liz asserts as fiancée
Carole moves into Michael’s life, but the mood shifts when Liz introduces herself as Michael’s fiancée. Carole grows indignant at the perceived challenge to her plan. The power dynamics surrounding the engagement become increasingly tangled.
Rita parachutes into the car; hotel stay
Rita parachutes into Michael’s open-top sports car and the two check into a small country hotel. Michael tries to resist her seduction, complicating the façade of a simple engagement. The hotel becomes a gathering ground for all the participants.
Hotel chaos as everyone arrives
More characters arrive at the hotel, with Carole’s parents wandering the corridors and rumors of an orgy spreading through the corridors. Even the petrol station attendant surfaces as part of the farce. The hotel becomes a circus of tangled relationships.
Anna confronts Fassbender as chaos erupts
Fassbender’s wife Anna tracks him down amid the chaos, and the rivalries explode in the hotel corridors. Carole arrives seeking Michael’s room, triggering a flurry of chase scenes as others wander in the background. The boundaries between couples blur in the crowded hotel.
All converge in Michael’s room; escape to go-kart circuit
Everyone ends up in Michael’s room with most of the women half-naked, drawing the police outside. Anna leads the group through the line of officers, dressed as a valkyrie and wielding a spear. They escape to a go-kart circuit to avoid scandal.
Go-kart circuit jaunt through farm and village
The chase continues as they leave the circuit for a farmyard, then thread through narrow village streets on go-karts before returning to the circuit. The absurd getaway encircles the countryside with frantic speed. The sequence heightens the film’s farcical energy.
Civil marriage ceremony and a rude registrar line
A mayor marries Michael and Carole in a civil ceremony and they sign the marriage certificate. Michael’s insult to the registrar when he calls her 'Pussycat' infuriates Carole. The moment undercuts the rosy veneer of their nuptials and sparks further tension.
Fassbender pivots to court Carole
With the chaotic day behind them, Fassbender steps in to court Carole as a rival suitor. The doctor’s involvement re-enters the romantic fray as the film circles back to complications of love, loyalty, and desire. The ending leaves the couple's fate uncertain as new alliances form.
What’s New Pussycat? Characters
Explore all characters from What’s New Pussycat? (1965). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Michael James (Peter O'Toole)
A notorious womanizer who longs for fidelity to his fiancée Carole but is constantly drawn into new playful conquests. His charm masks a restless ego and commitment fears, driving the film’s rapid-fire romantic farce as he hops between rooms and romances. His antics set the pace for the movie’s chaotic social playground.
Carole Werner (Romy Schneider)
Michael’s fiancée who schemes to provoke his jealousy by flirting with others, then moves in with him as they discuss marriage. Her bold plans intersect with the other characters’ schemes, creating a tangled web of desire and manipulation. She remains central to the matchmaking chaos driving the plot.
Liz Bien (Paula Prentiss)
A neurotic exotic dancer who becomes part of Michael’s revolving door of conquests, sometimes presenting herself as his fiancée to complicate matters. Her dramatic, competitive presence intensifies the social games and jealousy at the heart of the farce.
Rita (Ursula Andress)
A parachutist who literally lands in Michael’s car, personifying impulsive sexuality and a wildcard of desire. She adds another layer of seduction and unpredictability to the hotel gathering.
Renée Lefebvre (Françoise Hardy)
Dr. Fassbender’s patient who longs for Michael, highlighting the blurred lines between therapist and desire. Her presence complicates Fassbender’s professional boundaries and fuels romantic intrigue around Michael.
Dr. Fritz Fassbender (Peter Sellers)
A prominent psychoanalyst leading group therapy with neurotics and obsessives. He struggles to understand why everyone falls for Michael and is revealed to be married with three children, adding a layer of personal contradiction to his professional persona.
Anna Fassbender (Eddra Gale)
Fassbender’s domineering wife who tracks him down and becomes entangled in the film’s chaotic events. She appears in a Valkyrie-like moment, leading the group in a humorous escape from the authorities.
Victor Shakapopulis (Woody Allen)
Michael’s nervous, romantic-struck friend whose awkwardness becomes a catalyst for jealousy and comedic misadventure. He is a vehicle for the social games and humorous misunderstandings woven through the plot.
Le Maire (Richard Saint-Bris)
The mayor who oversees the civil marriage of Michael and Carole, representing officialdom and conventional rituals amid the film’s chaotic romance.
Gas Station Man (Daniel Emilfork)
A minor side character encountered at a petrol station, adding to the film’s satirical observations of everyday life within the wider farcical network.
What’s New Pussycat? Settings
Learn where and when What’s New Pussycat? (1965) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Location
Paris, France, Seine River area, countryside hotel, go-kart circuit
The film unfolds mainly in an urban Paris setting and its surrounding areas, capturing a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Key spaces include a lively hotel where most of the chaos occurs, a riverside milieu by the Seine, and a go-kart circuit that becomes a chase-filled backdrop. The mix of city life and rural locales amplifies the farcical collision of desire, social pretensions, and reckless whimsy.
What’s New Pussycat? Themes
Discover the main themes in What’s New Pussycat? (1965). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
💘
Fidelity
The central thread concerns Michael James’s wish to remain faithful to Carole while surrounded by temptations. The prospect of monogamy is repeatedly tested by flirtations, jealousy, and social performances, turning commitment into a game of chance. The comedy hinges on how easily desire overrides vows, exposing the fragility of romantic fidelity.
🎭
Seduction
Seduction is treated as a social performance, with characters staging their affections and rivalries for maximum effect. The group therapy sessions and the hotel gathering become chaotic stages where flirtations spiral into farce. The film satirizes how charm and wit can manipulate perception and drive reckless choices.
⚖️
Gender roles
The narrative probes gender dynamics by placing men as objects of pursuit while women actively orchestrate schemes to test loyalty. It exposes the tensions between desire, autonomy, and societal expectations, often reversing traditional power dynamics for comic impact. The therapist and marital disputes further illuminate how gender roles shape behavior and relationships.
What’s New Pussycat? Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of What’s New Pussycat? (1965). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the glitter‑laden world of post‑war Paris, a charismatic playboy named Michael James finds himself at a crossroads. Known for his effortless charm and endless string of admirers, he suddenly feels a tug toward permanence when his long‑time fiancée, Carole Werner, asks him to put his wandering ways behind him. Their relationship teeters between genuine affection and the ever‑present temptation of the countless women who seem magnetically drawn to Michael’s carefree swagger.
Enter the eccentric Dr. Fritz Fassbender, a self‑styled psychoanalyst whose own love life is as chaotic as his patients’. Fassbender runs a group‑therapy circle populated by neurotic performers, obsessives, and other colorful personalities, turning what should be a quiet office into a stage for wildly unorthodox sessions—think indoor games and bizarre confessions that blur the line between therapy and farce. His attempts to guide Michael are constantly sidetracked by his own pursuit of a patient who, in turn, harbors secret feelings for the playboy.
Around them swirl a cast of unforgettable figures: Liz Bien, a nervous exotic dancer whose neuroses clash with Michael’s flirtations; Rita, a daring parachutist who lands in his life quite literally; and Victor Shakapopulis, an awkward friend whose own attempts at jealousy add another layer of comic misunderstanding. Even Anna—the doctor’s formidable wife—lurks in the periphery, hinting at deeper entanglements that threaten to upend everyone’s carefully maintained facades.
The film revels in a tone that mixes breezy romantic comedy with slapstick absurdity, letting each character’s quirks amplify the chaos of love in a city where every encounter feels like a scene from a grand, improvised play. As relationships tangle and egos clash, the audience is invited to wonder whether any of the characters can truly escape the cycle of desire and commitment that defines their world.
Movies with Similar Twists and Themes
Uncover films that echo the narrative beats, emotional arcs, or dramatic twists of the one you're exploring. These recommendations are handpicked based on story depth, thematic resonance, and spoiler-worthy moments — perfect for fans who crave more of the same intrigue.
Featured on this page
What's After the Movie?
Not sure whether to stay after the credits? Find out!
Explore Our Movie Platform
New Movie Releases (2025)
Famous Movie Actors
Top Film Production Studios
Movie Plot Summaries & Endings
Major Movie Awards & Winners
Best Concert Films & Music Documentaries
Movie Collections and Curated Lists
© 2025 What's After the Movie. All rights reserved.