Often silly, somewhat disconnected, and hopelessly dated, the early-1930's musical "Love Me Tonight" is more historical curiosity than entertainment. Based on a French play, the nonsensical plot involves a Parisian tailor who pursues a deadbeat Viscount to his chateau, where he impersonates a Baron and falls in love with a princess. While some familiar Rodgers and Hart songs are performed, the sing-songy dialog sequences with lots of rhymes become tedious quickly, and many of the lines are so bad, they are unintentionally funny.
The film features Maurice Chevalier as Maurice, the tailor, and Jeannette MacDonald as Jeannette, the princess; both stars are acquired tastes, especially the mannered MacDonald. Chevalier chews on his thick trademark accent, while he warbles such standards as "Mimi," rolls his eyes, and twists his mouth to charm his fans. Meanwhile, the icy MacDonald emotes shamelessly and trills in her high soprano to thrill her own legions of fans. The supporting cast fares better than the leads, and they provide most of the amusement. Both Charlie Ruggles as the Viscount who never pays his bills and Charles Butterworth as the Count who hopelessly and ineptly courts the Princess register strongly, while C. Aubrey Smith as the Duke is an always welcome presence in any film. A lovely young Myrna Loy plays a countess, who is more worthy of Chevalier's attentions than MacDonald, but love is blind apparently. A trio of dotty aunts, led by Elizabeth Patterson, are either a Greek chorus or on disguised witches on leave from "MacBeth." The threesome flutter about, worry about the Princess, and spread gossipy news.
A series of dramatic black-and-white images of Paris opens the film, before the action moves to the Paramount back lot, where events immediately begin to become strange and silly. Director Rouben Mamoulian utilizes a few amusing camera tricks that hark back to the silent era and remind the audience that sound films were only five years old at the time. "Love Me Tonight" is an odd film, at times difficult to sit through, and today impossible to recommend except to dedicated film buffs and diehard fans of Chevalier and MacDonald. Others may want to take a pass on this one.
The film features Maurice Chevalier as Maurice, the tailor, and Jeannette MacDonald as Jeannette, the princess; both stars are acquired tastes, especially the mannered MacDonald. Chevalier chews on his thick trademark accent, while he warbles such standards as "Mimi," rolls his eyes, and twists his mouth to charm his fans. Meanwhile, the icy MacDonald emotes shamelessly and trills in her high soprano to thrill her own legions of fans. The supporting cast fares better than the leads, and they provide most of the amusement. Both Charlie Ruggles as the Viscount who never pays his bills and Charles Butterworth as the Count who hopelessly and ineptly courts the Princess register strongly, while C. Aubrey Smith as the Duke is an always welcome presence in any film. A lovely young Myrna Loy plays a countess, who is more worthy of Chevalier's attentions than MacDonald, but love is blind apparently. A trio of dotty aunts, led by Elizabeth Patterson, are either a Greek chorus or on disguised witches on leave from "MacBeth." The threesome flutter about, worry about the Princess, and spread gossipy news.
A series of dramatic black-and-white images of Paris opens the film, before the action moves to the Paramount back lot, where events immediately begin to become strange and silly. Director Rouben Mamoulian utilizes a few amusing camera tricks that hark back to the silent era and remind the audience that sound films were only five years old at the time. "Love Me Tonight" is an odd film, at times difficult to sit through, and today impossible to recommend except to dedicated film buffs and diehard fans of Chevalier and MacDonald. Others may want to take a pass on this one.