Although its plot contains a number of holes and implausibilities, They Won't Believe Me is typical of many of the melodramas made during the 1940s: it is a very enjoyable film with some notably good performances.
Larry Ballentine (Robert Young) is a philanderer with a wealthy wife, Gretta (Rita Johnson), who uses her money and influence to trap him into staying in their failed marriage. Larry has an affair with magazine journalist Janice (Jane Greer) and after that with Verna (Susan Hayward), who works at the brokerage firm in which Gretta has a 25% stake. Despite knowing about these affairs, Gretta opts to forgive her husband and literally to buy his fidelity. All this leads to circumstances in which Larry is tried for the murder of Verna. Most of the film consists of his court testimony, which is delivered in the form of flashbacks of various earlier events.
They Won't Believe Me is a suspenseful film that keeps the viewer guessing about what will happen next. Yes, there is far too much reliance on plot contrivance and coincidence - and the twist at the end, though clever and genuinely surprising, is frankly ludicrous. But it is nonetheless an engaging and very watchable film, helped considerably by the quality of the performances delivered by its stars. An entertaining watch. 7/10.
Larry Ballentine (Robert Young) is a philanderer with a wealthy wife, Gretta (Rita Johnson), who uses her money and influence to trap him into staying in their failed marriage. Larry has an affair with magazine journalist Janice (Jane Greer) and after that with Verna (Susan Hayward), who works at the brokerage firm in which Gretta has a 25% stake. Despite knowing about these affairs, Gretta opts to forgive her husband and literally to buy his fidelity. All this leads to circumstances in which Larry is tried for the murder of Verna. Most of the film consists of his court testimony, which is delivered in the form of flashbacks of various earlier events.
They Won't Believe Me is a suspenseful film that keeps the viewer guessing about what will happen next. Yes, there is far too much reliance on plot contrivance and coincidence - and the twist at the end, though clever and genuinely surprising, is frankly ludicrous. But it is nonetheless an engaging and very watchable film, helped considerably by the quality of the performances delivered by its stars. An entertaining watch. 7/10.