[2] It stars Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk, and Cassavetes as three middle class men in the throes of a midlife crisis following the death of a close friend.

Jay Cocks of Time described it as Cassavetes's finest work,[4] but other critics, including Vincent Canby, Pauline Kael, and Roger Ebert, lambasted it.

[5][6][7] Gus (Cassavetes), Harry (Gazzara), and Archie (Falk) are three nominally happy husbands with families in suburban New York.

After the funeral, they spend two days hanging out, playing basketball, riding the subway, and drinking, including an impromptu singing contest at a bar.

Gus pairs off with Mary, Archie with Julie, a young Asian woman who appears not to speak English, and Harry with Pearl.

[10] On September 18, 1970, Cassavetes, Falk, and Gazzara appeared on The Dick Cavett Show, ostensibly to promote the release of Husbands.

"[6] Writing for The New York Times, critic Vincent Canby called the film "unbearably long", and concluded of the three characters that "when it's all over, they are tired, but not much wiser—which is pretty much the sum and substance of Husbands.

"[5] Tony Mastroianni of the Cleveland Press wrote that the "[film's] dialog consists of fragments, of exclamations, of three actors trying to upstage each other.

[14] In a retrospective assessment of the film, Philip French of The Observer called it "highly uneven, painfully drawn-out, deeply sincere, wildly misogynistic and at times agonisingly tedious.

"[15] Conversely, Richard Brody of The New Yorker called the film a "formally radical, deeply personal work" that "still packs plenty of surprises.