A determined bachelor teaches a workaholic show girl how to have fun and in the process become her own person.
It's a shame that despite all the energetic input, the result is as forgettable as it is. The madcap just doesn't come off, despite the many zany setups. I agree with another reviewer: the main problem is with Fairbanks as the obsessed Romeo. Whatever his other acting skills, madcap comedy is not one of them. Unfortunately, he's more like a grinning lounge lizard here than a charming free spirit. Then too, he's not helped by a script that turns his character (Brewster) into more of a stalker than a love-struck Lochinvar. Plus, his advances toward Maggie (Dunne) appear at times more creepy than amorous. Thus, without a strong central core, the movie flounders despite such other comedic talents as Kibbee and Ball, who are given far too little to do.
Neither, for that matter, does director Garnett manage to get the material to gel, simply going from one hectic set-up to the next in uninspired fashion. He appears to have little feel for the zany material. Frankly, the movie made me yearn for the talents of a Cary Grant or a Howard Hawks. That aside, the overall message is a good one—Brewster teaches the staid Maggie how to have fun. Now, if only the movie could have done the same-- For hard-core fans of Dunne only.
It's a shame that despite all the energetic input, the result is as forgettable as it is. The madcap just doesn't come off, despite the many zany setups. I agree with another reviewer: the main problem is with Fairbanks as the obsessed Romeo. Whatever his other acting skills, madcap comedy is not one of them. Unfortunately, he's more like a grinning lounge lizard here than a charming free spirit. Then too, he's not helped by a script that turns his character (Brewster) into more of a stalker than a love-struck Lochinvar. Plus, his advances toward Maggie (Dunne) appear at times more creepy than amorous. Thus, without a strong central core, the movie flounders despite such other comedic talents as Kibbee and Ball, who are given far too little to do.
Neither, for that matter, does director Garnett manage to get the material to gel, simply going from one hectic set-up to the next in uninspired fashion. He appears to have little feel for the zany material. Frankly, the movie made me yearn for the talents of a Cary Grant or a Howard Hawks. That aside, the overall message is a good one—Brewster teaches the staid Maggie how to have fun. Now, if only the movie could have done the same-- For hard-core fans of Dunne only.