The third in the Thin Man series; and one that obviously retains the name merely for familiarity. Still an amusing combination of mystery and wit, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with the first film aside from the two main characters, Nick and Nora Charles.
The chemistry between Powell and Loy is as strong as ever; these films really wouldn't be as good as they are without such great leads. But I felt that Myrna Loy's role in this one wasn't as good as it could be...she wasn't central enough to the film and she didn't have as strong dialogue as she has previously.
As well, the introduction of a new Charles, their son, was useless. The tie-in to the plot was bare at best, and any relevance could easily have been overlooked or rewritten. And the baby party scene was, in my opinion, the worst scene of the film.
I also found the story not nearly as intriguing as the first one. This story didn't have the intricacies that the original story did...granted, it was a somewhat complex mystery, but the outcome was predictable and many of the side-plots were silly and obvious red herrings (Mrs. Bellam claiming to be Lois' mother, for example, shouldn't have even been there.) I liked the gun trick though.
All in all, this film lacked the originality of the previous ones, and the dialogue and wit wasn't as sharp as usual. This film felt as though it was trying too hard to live up to expectations. Which is not to say that it wasn't good...far above average, and enjoyable all the way through. And when the laughs are there, they're really there! Not to mention that Asta is adorable is ever (check out that back flip!!) I'd definitely recommend this film, especially if you liked the first two. 7/10.
The chemistry between Powell and Loy is as strong as ever; these films really wouldn't be as good as they are without such great leads. But I felt that Myrna Loy's role in this one wasn't as good as it could be...she wasn't central enough to the film and she didn't have as strong dialogue as she has previously.
As well, the introduction of a new Charles, their son, was useless. The tie-in to the plot was bare at best, and any relevance could easily have been overlooked or rewritten. And the baby party scene was, in my opinion, the worst scene of the film.
I also found the story not nearly as intriguing as the first one. This story didn't have the intricacies that the original story did...granted, it was a somewhat complex mystery, but the outcome was predictable and many of the side-plots were silly and obvious red herrings (Mrs. Bellam claiming to be Lois' mother, for example, shouldn't have even been there.) I liked the gun trick though.
All in all, this film lacked the originality of the previous ones, and the dialogue and wit wasn't as sharp as usual. This film felt as though it was trying too hard to live up to expectations. Which is not to say that it wasn't good...far above average, and enjoyable all the way through. And when the laughs are there, they're really there! Not to mention that Asta is adorable is ever (check out that back flip!!) I'd definitely recommend this film, especially if you liked the first two. 7/10.