"California Split" is Robert Altman's most loose-limbed movie. It's a virtually plotless look at at a couple of gambling buddies, (Elliot Gould and George Segal, both superb), coasting from day to day, losing as much as they win, filmed with so much over-lapping dialogue that conversations seem to disappear into the ether. It's also one of the great movies to explore friendships between men with one foot in the mainstream and the other in the experimental. Consequently, it wasn't really a success, either critically or commercially. Despite the drawing power of its leads people just didn't seem to know what to make of it. It's certainly a brilliant piece of film-making and its lack of structure makes it one of the most 'Altmanesque' of Altman films. It may not be in the very first tier but it still knocks spots of the best of almost anyone else.
Review of California Split
