In one of the supreme screwball comedies, young husband and wife Jerry and Lucy (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, respectively), suspicious that the other is having an affair, start divorce proceedings and see each other only when Jerry visits their dog, who is held in joint custody. As Lucy shows signs of falling for her oil-tycoon .. Read more
| Starring | Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy, Alexander D'Arcy |
|---|---|
| Director | Leo McCarey |
| Genres | Comedy |
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In one of the supreme screwball comedies, young husband and wife Jerry and Lucy (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, respectively), suspicious that the other is having an affair, start divorce proceedings and see each other only when Jerry visits their dog, who is held in joint custody. As Lucy shows signs of falling for her oil-tycoon neighbor, Jerry goes to outrageous lengths to break them up. And Jerry's own whirlwind courtship of a social darling hits snags as Lucy pretends to be his inebriated showgirl sister during Jerry's meeting with his girlfriend's parents. Stuck in an isolated cabin the eve their divorce becomes final, Lucy and Jerry discover the awful truth that they still love each other. The wonderful Leo McCarey directed THE AWFUL TRUTH, which was based on the 1922 play by Arthur Richman.
| Starring | Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy, Alexander D'Arcy, Cecil Cunningham, Molly Lamont, Joyce Compton, Esther Dale, Mary Forbes |
|---|---|
| Director | Leo McCarey |
| Studio | SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 27 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 24 Mar 2003 Production year: 1937 |
| Format | DVD |
A wonderful example of Cary Grant at his screwball comic best as one half of a sniping, divorcing couple, who trade insults like gunfire and seek to spoil each other's future plans. Irene Dunne is the superb foil for Grant's laconic asides, and the two leads are assisted by a great supporting cast, which includes Ralph Bellamy and Cecil Cunningham. Leo McCarey's assured and fluid direction was rightly rewarded with an Oscar. Many stars, including Tom Hanks and Hugh Grant, have laid claim to Grant's mantle, but this movie illustrates once again that they are light years away from the man at his best.
Classic screwball comedy of the thirties, marked by a mixture of sophistication and farce and an irreverent approach to plot.
Though the plot is at best tenuous, this film gets five stars from me because of the wonderful, mostly ad-libbed, dialogue between Grant, his (ex) wife and her new boyfriend.
If you are already a Cary Grant fan, watch this to reinforce your opinion that Cary Grant's charm, wit and perfect timing can not be matched. If you are not a fan yet, start with a different Grant film, perhaps Charade or His Girl Friday, or my personal favorite (somewhat contraversially!) Arsenic and Old Lace.
This was a great easy-going film -- somehow the story-lines always seem better in the oldies.
Definitely worth watching.