Director Mike Nichols's provocative film based on a Jules Feiffer script about the changes in America's sexual mores over the course of the three decades chronicles the bitter experiences of two middle-class American males Jonathan (Jack Nicholson) a cruel but charismatic misogynist & Sandy (Art Garfunkel) a bland idealist meet as roommates at a small New England college in the 1940s As their friendship progresses through the following decades their search for the ideal woman leads to failed marriages bad relationships & emotional emptiness Nichols is particularly adept at negotiating the kind of psychological minefield presented in CARNAL KNOWLEDGE Nicholson is fascinating to watch but the supporting women including Candice Bergen & Ann-Margret supply the soul Nichols uses a shadowy film noir technique that underscores the movie's exploration of the uncertainty in relationships & also employs long close-ups that offer the characters no room to prevaricate in his bleak vision of men women & romance