An Oscar-nominated performance by Liza Minnelli, playing the sort of character who puts the "kook" into cuckoo. She's an insecure near-nutter who ropes a hapless college student into her neurotically self-centred world. Predictably, his grades go all to pot in the process. Wendell Burton beautifully plays the boy; curiously, he's been little heard of since. No such obscurity for Alan J Pakula, here making his directorial debut - his later successes included Klute, All the President's Men and Sophie's Choice. The movie was released as Pookie in the UK - the name of Minnelli's character.

Uptight college freshman Jerry Payne finds a carefree friend in zany Pookie. After an awkward meeting on the bus, Pookie quickly works her way into Jerry's life. She makes an unannounced visit to Jerry's campus, and before long annoyance turns to affection, and friendship turns to romance. But with Pookie's increasingly neurotic behavior, how long can this love affair last?