Eleanor Parker is a secretary for a law firm. She is sent to inform a man (Fred MacMurray) that he's just inherited $2,000,000. But, when she sees how handsome and rich he is, she acts on the crazy little voice in her head in the hope that she'll capture his heart. The problem, though, is that she comes off like a nut and MacMurray is about to get married--and he wants her to just go away. And, she also, inexplicably, never adequately explains why she is there. This strains credibility way past the breaking point--way past.
So at this point in the film (by about 20 minutes into it), it's obvious that there are two major problems with the film. First, if Parker made just succinctly explained why she was following MacMurray, then the whole kooky mix-up never would have occurred and he never would have thought she was insane. A comedy that relies on a plot that can easily be resolved but isn't is not a particularly good comedy. Second, the film is LOUD and KOOKY--and never the least bit subtle.
So does it get any better after the kooky wedding scene? Well, it certainly doesn't run out of energy! After Parker totally screws up MacMurray's wedding, he tries to take her to a mental hospital but on the way, the fog is so bad that the car goes off the road and into the ocean--talk about being contrived. Now, stuck in the middle of no where, they happen upon a group of Spanish-speaking men--none of which can understand MacMurray or Parker--or vice-versa. There is no phone nearby and the charming Hispanic men think the two are on their honeymoon and throw them a party(?)--during which lots of tequila is consumed and merriment follows. While none of this makes the least bit of sense, at least it's all rather charming. However, when they then inexplicably fall in love it made me annoyed. Only minutes before, MacMurray assumed Parker was crazy. Then, with the infusion of some tequila and moonlight, he completely forgets this and makes love to her (1950s style)! Were the folks who wrote all this the ones who were actually crazy?!
Eventually, the pair make it to the La Jolla Clinic (mental asylum). Why Parker would let him take her there is beyond me but there she meets MacMurray's rival in love (Richard Carlson)--and he contrives to help her win MacMurray. After all, Carlson wants to marry MacMurray's fiancée, so marrying him off to Parker will do the trick. And, not surprisingly, by the end of the film, Parker gets her man.
Despite a few cute scenes, this is a pretty bad comedy. The plot is chaotic and contrived and rarely works. I just wished they'd had a re-write as some basic elements of the film worked--and Parker and MacMurray try their best and could have been funny together. The bottom line is that his just a bad script and it needed a significant re-write.
So at this point in the film (by about 20 minutes into it), it's obvious that there are two major problems with the film. First, if Parker made just succinctly explained why she was following MacMurray, then the whole kooky mix-up never would have occurred and he never would have thought she was insane. A comedy that relies on a plot that can easily be resolved but isn't is not a particularly good comedy. Second, the film is LOUD and KOOKY--and never the least bit subtle.
So does it get any better after the kooky wedding scene? Well, it certainly doesn't run out of energy! After Parker totally screws up MacMurray's wedding, he tries to take her to a mental hospital but on the way, the fog is so bad that the car goes off the road and into the ocean--talk about being contrived. Now, stuck in the middle of no where, they happen upon a group of Spanish-speaking men--none of which can understand MacMurray or Parker--or vice-versa. There is no phone nearby and the charming Hispanic men think the two are on their honeymoon and throw them a party(?)--during which lots of tequila is consumed and merriment follows. While none of this makes the least bit of sense, at least it's all rather charming. However, when they then inexplicably fall in love it made me annoyed. Only minutes before, MacMurray assumed Parker was crazy. Then, with the infusion of some tequila and moonlight, he completely forgets this and makes love to her (1950s style)! Were the folks who wrote all this the ones who were actually crazy?!
Eventually, the pair make it to the La Jolla Clinic (mental asylum). Why Parker would let him take her there is beyond me but there she meets MacMurray's rival in love (Richard Carlson)--and he contrives to help her win MacMurray. After all, Carlson wants to marry MacMurray's fiancée, so marrying him off to Parker will do the trick. And, not surprisingly, by the end of the film, Parker gets her man.
Despite a few cute scenes, this is a pretty bad comedy. The plot is chaotic and contrived and rarely works. I just wished they'd had a re-write as some basic elements of the film worked--and Parker and MacMurray try their best and could have been funny together. The bottom line is that his just a bad script and it needed a significant re-write.