This is a distinctly old-fashioned comedy, created by middle-aged guys who'd written Marx Brothers movies and cute comedies like Miracle on 34th Street. In some ways, the movie feels antiquated and out of touch; its '60s nihilistic "East Village artists" are Beatnik throwbacks, and the writers believe that if people were happy, men would be clean shaven and wear suits, women would get their hair done, and everyone would get married.
But if the film is out of touch with the world it's set in, it is perfectly in touch with the Capra-esque sensibility it's aiming at. After a slow start, the movie becomes quite funny, and it has a charm and sweetness about it that was already long out of style by the time of its release.
I saw this movie decades ago and really liked it, and I'm happy to say that, all these years later, I still find its humor and positive message (and no, it's not a particularly subversive message, though it is a sweet one) compensate for its old-fashioned out-of-touchness.
But if the film is out of touch with the world it's set in, it is perfectly in touch with the Capra-esque sensibility it's aiming at. After a slow start, the movie becomes quite funny, and it has a charm and sweetness about it that was already long out of style by the time of its release.
I saw this movie decades ago and really liked it, and I'm happy to say that, all these years later, I still find its humor and positive message (and no, it's not a particularly subversive message, though it is a sweet one) compensate for its old-fashioned out-of-touchness.