I noticed that at least one reviewer loved this film--giving it a 10. This is what makes it a bit strange, as I hated this film and my daughter kept begging me to turn it off! The movie stars Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray--two very good actors who were given clearly inferior material and didn't have a chance. They are supposed to be a married couple, but have so little in common that you can't believe it. Carole is a pathological liar who just tells one meaningless lie after another. Fred is an astutely truthful person--who happens to be a criminal defense attorney who will only defend honest people--hence, he has no clients! Now why would two people like this marry?! Additionally, Carole is just too kooky to be real--and too kooky to be in a screwball comedy! She's just impossible to believe and impossible to like. Her character is loud, makes up horrible lies that could hurt people and is totally self-absorbed--what's to like about her? And as for Fred, he's a nice guy but like Lombard, one-dimensional--and a bit dull as well.
Carole is almost sexually assaulted by a rich jerk but she manages to escape from his clutches and run from his home. Soon afterwords, he's found dead and the cops assume she did it--and the evidence does point that way. However, here's the stupid part. While she is 100% innocent, she tells her husband/attorney (Fred) that she DID kill the guy. Why would she do this?! In addition, throughout the film, John Barrymore plays perhaps his broadest role ever--even more so than the wacky scientist in "The Invisible Woman"! While he was a wonderful actor, late in his life, he tended to become a parody of himself--playing very colorful people and overacting horribly in the process. Here, he chews scenery right and left and comes off as a kid who THINKS he's god's gift to acting because he just got the lead in the school play! So, what we have in the film are ridiculous characters who do NOTHING that makes any sense. In addition, Lombard and Barrymore take turns seeing who can out-emote and overact the most. Amazingly, Barrymore won--though Lombard was also at her very worst. Despite 1937 being the year Lombard played in one of the greatest screwball comedies of the decade ("My Man Godfrey"), this film is no Godfrey due to its horrible writing, lack of grace and god-awful characters. Avoid this unless you LIKE to be in intense pain!
Carole is almost sexually assaulted by a rich jerk but she manages to escape from his clutches and run from his home. Soon afterwords, he's found dead and the cops assume she did it--and the evidence does point that way. However, here's the stupid part. While she is 100% innocent, she tells her husband/attorney (Fred) that she DID kill the guy. Why would she do this?! In addition, throughout the film, John Barrymore plays perhaps his broadest role ever--even more so than the wacky scientist in "The Invisible Woman"! While he was a wonderful actor, late in his life, he tended to become a parody of himself--playing very colorful people and overacting horribly in the process. Here, he chews scenery right and left and comes off as a kid who THINKS he's god's gift to acting because he just got the lead in the school play! So, what we have in the film are ridiculous characters who do NOTHING that makes any sense. In addition, Lombard and Barrymore take turns seeing who can out-emote and overact the most. Amazingly, Barrymore won--though Lombard was also at her very worst. Despite 1937 being the year Lombard played in one of the greatest screwball comedies of the decade ("My Man Godfrey"), this film is no Godfrey due to its horrible writing, lack of grace and god-awful characters. Avoid this unless you LIKE to be in intense pain!