Year of Release: 1937Country of Origin: USA
Director: Leo McCarey
Cast: Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy, Alex D'Arcy
Plot outline: Unfounded suspicions lead a married couple to begin divorce proceedings, whereupon they start undermining each other's attempts to find new romance (IMDb).
There was no actor better at romantic comedy than Cary Grant. While he could play dramatic roles, his real talent was for comedy. His sarcastic voice and staccato delivery was perfect for one-liners. Always jealous or aggrieved, he was so natural at it that audiences had to laugh. Though the movie has a certain structural unevenness - some of the scenes having a terrific comic impact, others being a shade self-conscious - the final result is a picture liberally strewn with authentic audience laughs. Its funniest scene, that of the dog, Mr. Smith (Asta of The Thin Man) playing hide-and-seek, and repeatedly dragging out the incriminating derby hat from where Irene Dunne has hidden it, is based on the purely farcical premise that it would really have mattered to Cary Grant, her estranged husband, if he had found its harmless owner in the drawing room, when he arrived. Grant and Dunne, as the couple who get undivorced, and Ralph Bellamy as the rich respectable suitor from Oklahoma have fun with their roles. (NYT)
My judgement: ***1/2 out of 4 stars
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