Movies
90 minutes of rapid-fire conversation, that's what this film has to offer. The comedy is mostly based on stereotypical male/female clichés stretched to their breaking point, whether you think that is funny or not will probably depend on whether you like this type of screwball comedy. Personally, I'm not a big fan. Gerry and Tom are a married couple who keep getting into fights about money. Tom is an inventor, but can't produce a profitable invention, Gerry wants to enjoy life and feels like she's holding Gerry back. And so Gerry concocts a plan that will hopefully save her marriage, or at least make her own life a little more enjoyable. Performances are decent but nothing special. The plot is basic and the comedy not all that funny. The one big positive here is that the film stays clear from introducing too much drama. The tone is light from start to finish and the film doesn't take itself too seriously. Certainly not the worst screwball comedy, still not really worth it though.Read all
Early romcom that isn't very funny and isn't all that romantic either. The biggest problem for me is that these classic romances never feel very passionate. The acting is too on the nose, there is no real chemistry between the actors, as they go from hot to cold and back again in just a single scene. Charles is a rich kid looking for companionship. When taking a trip by boat he runs into Jean, one third of a trio of scammers. They see in Charles the ideal chump, but Jean falls for the charms of Charles and decides to better her life. When Charles finds out she tried to play him though, he calls off their relationship. Performances are mediocre, the slapstick feels pretty out of place and the plot couldn't really draw me in. It's a good thing the pacing is decent, the runtime is rather short and the atmosphere remains light from start to finish. These things make the film a little easier to sit through, but that's about it.Read all
A screwball comedy with light noir influences. It's a combination of two rather unpleasant genres, helmed by a director who never managed to impress me before. It's no surprise then that Unfaithfully Yours did very little for me. It's classic genre fluff that is already fading as I write this review. Alfred De Carter is a famous conductor who works in the US. He is happily married to Daphne, but he is a jealous and suspicious man who believes his wife is cheating on him. To calm his mind, he comes up with several ways of trapping her, but none of his schemes go according to plan. The characters are annoying, a lot of the comedy hinges on the rapid banter (which lacks edge), and the noir elements don't fit in all that well with the rest of the film. It's also a tad long, but that's probably because I didn't care for any of it. It's not my kind of film, and Sturges couldn't convince me otherwise.Read all
A classic screwball comedy. It's only 100 minutes long, but because it's so hectic and long it feels like it's twice the length. That's not a good thing when the characters are unbearable and the comedy is plain and unfunny. The result is a film that is pretty grating, instead of hilarious or joyous. Trudy works in a record store when she gets invited to a party with some soldiers. She isn't allowed to go, but she goes anyway. When she returns the next morning, she is married and pregnant, but she has no idea who her husband and the father of her child is. An old friend will have to cover for Trudy's indiscretions. I'm not a fan of these old screwball comedies. While they share some similarities with Hong Kong comedy, they aren't quite as weird or zany. The plot is pretty bland, none of the characters is any fun and the delivery of the comedy is more geared at making noise than actually being witty. Not good.Read all