Robert Osborne, the host of Turner Classic Movies, could sell me sand in a desert.
I saw that this film was coming on, was intrigued by the fact that it starred Edward G. Robinson and Jean Arthur, two of my favorite actors, and was even more excited after Osborne's introduction of it. But then I watched the movie itself, and nearly fell asleep. It's o.k., but it's certainly nothing special, and fellow Jean Arthur fans should be warned that her credit is a bit of a tease -- she drops out mid-way through the film and is barely even seen in half of it.
Edward G. Robinson gets to have some fun playing two characters -- a criminal mastermind and the meek officer worker who just happens to look exactly like him. This premise is meant to be screwball, but John Ford proves that screwball comedy is not his forte.
Grade: B-
I saw that this film was coming on, was intrigued by the fact that it starred Edward G. Robinson and Jean Arthur, two of my favorite actors, and was even more excited after Osborne's introduction of it. But then I watched the movie itself, and nearly fell asleep. It's o.k., but it's certainly nothing special, and fellow Jean Arthur fans should be warned that her credit is a bit of a tease -- she drops out mid-way through the film and is barely even seen in half of it.
Edward G. Robinson gets to have some fun playing two characters -- a criminal mastermind and the meek officer worker who just happens to look exactly like him. This premise is meant to be screwball, but John Ford proves that screwball comedy is not his forte.
Grade: B-