One of the best screwball comedies of ‘30’s, right on par with Frank Capra’s “It Happened One Night” and “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”. In their first screen paring, Cary Grant and Irene Dunne play Jerry and Lucy Warriner, a married high class couple who seem to be getting along fine. Until one night, when the two become convinced, for various small reasons, that there are infidelities in the relationship. They both reveal their feelings about one another (“I wouldn't go on living with you if you were dipped in platinum”) and get a divorce. Lucy gets custody of the couple’s beloved dog, Mr. Smith. But, Jerry is also able to get a court order allowing him to see the dog twice a week. And, although the divorce doesn’t become final for 60 days, the two start forming other relationships, with each partner trying to sabotage the others romances.

Lucy has a relationship with a millionaire Oklahoma rancher named Daniel (Ralph Bellamy), while Jerry has one with singer Dixie Belle Lee (Joyce Compton). However, Jerry is able to mess up that one when he and Lucy’s voice teacher get caught in the same place and battle out of Lucy’s apartment. This leads Daniel to remark “Well, I guess a man’s best friend is his mother” (Similar to words later said by Norman Bates in 1960’s “Psycho”). And Jerry’s romance with Lee is short lived. He soon starts to go out with high-class socialite Barbara Vance (Molly Lamont). But one day, when Lucy visits Jerry’s apartment (On their last day as husband and wife), Lucy answers the telephone only to find out it is Barbara. Jerry lies to Barbara that it’s his sister, which causes Barbara to invite her along with Jerry over to her residence that night. Lucy (Or Lola, the name Jerry gave her as his sister) shows up drunk and makes a fool of Jerry, who decides to leave along with Lucy in her car. But, there is a problem with the car radio that causes them to get pulled over by the cops. And the “breaks” give out (Actually, Lucy lets them loose), causing the car to crash. The two are given rides by the policemen to Lucy’s aunt’s place, where they sleep in rooms that are next to one another. But, the door separating the two rooms has a problem of not staying closed.

Now, what does one think of the things Jerry and Lucy do to one another in their relationships? It seemed to me, at first, that they were trying to put the other through hell. But, they seem to love one another more as they are doing it. For example, the scene where Jerry goes to Lucy’s voice teacher’s apartment. He expects to see her alone with the instructor, only to find Lucy is performing for a group. Jerry sits down and, in a funny moment, leans too far back and falls over. Lucy, in the middle of singing, makes a little laugh; she likes seeing Jerry make a fool of himself. But, she makes sure the laugh isn’t noticed. This can be interpreted on that she loves how Jerry makes her laugh. The more they try to hurt one another, the more they see their mutual love for one another, which is the awful truth. Daniel puts it best to Lucy in these words:

Daniel: Are you sure you don't like that fella?
Lucy: Like him? You saw the way I treated him, didn't you?
Daniel: That's what I mean. Back on my ranch, I got a little red rooster and a little brown hen and they fight all the time too, but every once in a while they make up again and they're right friendly.

Dunne got an Oscar nomination for her hilarious, and beautiful looking, performance. But, she got no win (Though I'm sure that Oscar's choice, Louise Rainier, was a justified one). The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Ralph Bellamy), Best Screenplay and Best Film Editing, with Leo McCarey picking up the first of two Best Director Oscars. Strangely, Grant was ignored in the nominations (Though he would be nominated twice in the ‘40’s for dramatic roles). I don’t know what the Academy had against Grant. Since Grant was from England, was it patriotism for the U.S? If so, why did Charles Laughton get a Best Actor award in 1933 for “The Private Life of King Henry VIII”? Maybe Grant wasn’t a team player?

I must say this before I close the review: The dog, Mr. Smith, should have gotten an honorary award or nomination of some kind. He was very well trained, being able to cover his eyes during hide and seek and, in a clever (And often clichéd) scene, forced to decide on who should be it’s master. He’s also a great companion for Grant when he plays the piano during his visits.

I mentioned in my review that Leo McCarey won the first of two Best Director Oscars for this movie. His second came for 1944’s “Going My Way”. To read my review of that movie, use this URL:

http://www.epinions.com/content_68485156484


Recommended:
Yes