My Favorite Wife
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Movie Reviews of My Favorite Wife
Movie Review: His favorite wife is in the honeymoon suite down the hall
Summary: 4 Stars
A befuddled Nick Arden (Cary Grant) can't seem to decide between his bride Gail (Gail Patrick) and his wife Ellen (Irene Dunne), who happened to return from a seven-year absence on the day of Nick's remarriage. Finding him at the honeymoon hotel wasn't difficult since it was the same one in which he consummated his first marriage. Ellen's goal is to keep Nick from consummating a second.
Nick's strong feelings for his first wife are apparent. Once he spots her, she is never far away. In fact, it is not clear why he married Gail. Ellen concludes it was for the benefit of the children and Nick sheepishly agrees in order to have some excuse, though the new bride is never seen interacting with the kiddies. Nevertheless, it takes Nick considerable time to get up enough nerve to tell Gail the honeymoon is over. His cryptic rendezvous and resistance to her affection makes Gail feel something is wrong with one of them -- physically or mentally.
Prolonging Nick's procrastination is his discovery of where Ellen has been for seven years. The delay in explaining the facts to his bride makes Ellen wonder if he prefers Gail. To speed things along, Ellen uses every feminine wile to lure her love back in her arms.
During this emotional merry-go-round, Nick must juggle an insurance man, a psychoanalyst, two wives, and the law who would arrest him for bigamy. Obviously, this leads to some hilarious awkward moments with MY FAVORITE WIFE.
Movie quote: "I came here with my wife... hum... my bride really. Now my wife, not my bride... my wife... Why should I bother you with details?"
Movie Review: Comedy Greats Cary Grant and Irene Dunne Return In Another Classic Comedy
Summary: 4 Stars
For me the totally captivating combination of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne on screen exemplifies everything that was special about classic Hollywood star power. These two performers who appeared together on screen on three separate occasions in the uproarious comedy gem "The Awful Truth", the beautifully poignant "Penny Serenade", and in this highly amusing marital comedy from 1940, always displayed a perfect understanding of that most rare quality in film work; that being flawless screen chemistry. Here in "My Favourite Wife", they tackle a different kind of comedy situation than in "The Awful Truth", however the same unique qualitites that they employed in their firs teffort together are again very evident here in this farce of a woman presumed lost at seas years before suddenly returnign on the dayher husband remarries creating a whole host of complications guarenteed to get the laughter goign at hign octaves. "My Favourite Wife", is also famous for having a rather interesting remake history in that it was to be a lush vehicle for Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin in 1962 under the title "Something's Got to Give", which of course never made it to completion because of Monroe's untimely death after which it resurfaced again two years later in 1964 as a vehicle for Box Office Queen Doris Day and James Garner retitled "Move Over Darling". This original with Grant and Dunne however is the gem of the two and deserves to be better remembered since it does tend to often get hidden in the shadow of Grant and Dunne's earler teaming in the admittedly better "The Awful Truth".Movie Review: Wish We Had the Re-Make
Summary: 4 Stars
My Favorite Wife is a funny story featuring a beloved screen team. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star as Nick and Ellen Arden, a married couple, but since this is a comedy, there is a complication. Ellen has been declared legally dead since she has been missing and presumed drowned after seven years of absence. Nick has found another woman named Bianca (Gail Patrick), a stuffy and spoiled woman, and married her. On his honeymoon, he discovers at Ellen is still alive and has returned from a deserted island to re-claim her family. Hilarity ensues when Nick is reluctant to tell his new bride the news and she does all she can to figure out his odd behavior.
This movie is a very light comedy. The plot is interesting enough in itself and is executed relatively well. It seems to get funnier as time goes on. Of course, it is rather strange to hear Dunne spoken of as a great beauty and a perfect woman. She might have been a good housewife, but she isn't the most beautiful of all the classic starlets.
Unfortunately, the re-make of this film starring Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin was never completed. Something's Got To Give is the last film Monroe was working on before her death. What exists shows a competant comedic team making a laugh a minute and a loyal tribute to the original. I believe it could have been better than My Favorite Wife. We do not have the remake, though, so we are left with a sufficiently funny romp with two wonderful stars.
Movie Review: Screwball Lite.
Summary: 4 Stars
Cary Grant sleepwalks through this "Oh What Could Have Been" farce about a dead drowned and deceased wife (Irene Dunne) after seven years who comes home to find her hubby has married the Wicked Witch of the West, coincidentally on the same day of her return, and after the lawyer husband (Grant) pleads to the court to declare said wife history while the Judge grills him like a porkchop about how Wife #1 became MIA.
Irene Dunne makes this movie. If you're not familiar with her work I would characterize her as your basic Katharine Hepburn on crack. She's beautiful, she's funny, and her giggles send testosterone shooting out of my pores. A virile Tarzan-look-a-like Randolph Scott shows up to make things interesting as Irene's shipwreckmate before he became a Stepford Wife Western franchise.
This movie is very cute, but it falls short of classic status. Grant was already a Hollywood icon when he made this flick but something is missing here. See for yourself, but he seemed distracted. If you prefer Doris Day, you can see basically the same storyline, although not as good, in "Move Over Darling" with James Garner, who is cool as hell but ain't no Cary Grant.
The DVD is passable but I swear I dont know why they seem to have better prints on TCM/AMC. Some artifacts that dont belong on a "remastered" disc but all in all no complaints. The sound is fine at 2.0 and the extras are more than you would expect. 4 Lifeguards
Movie Review: Old fashioned Charm
Summary: 4 Stars
The charms of Irene Dunne (whose secret, endorsed by the Studio, was to work from 10 am to 6 pm), Cary Grant and Randolph Scott (off the screen Cary Grant's good friend) had this comedy float in the air. Mr. Alden (Cary Grant) and Mrs. Ellen Arden (Irene Dunne) were married 4 years with 2 toddlers before Ellen was missing for 7 years after a shipwreck. When she came back she found a blend new (less than 24 hours) Mrs. Bianca Arden on a honeymoon.
What followed was Mr. Arden's unsuccessful attempt to dissuade Bianca, then his jealousy towards Mr. Burkett (Randolph Scott) for his company with his wife on an island during her years of missing. The dialogue can be funny and Randolph Scott lent his personal charm and physique to make a truly convincing rival. He swinged the rings and dived in the swimming pool like Tarzan. He also looked very bit like a relaxing millionnaire (in real life he was, with his screen success in the 50s). A very young Cary Grant coyly smiled his way out of embarrasing situations, one after another, and won over his favorite wife's heart clumsily but lovingly.
This movie was a great way to revisit the old-fashioned charm. Any attempt of remake would most probably take away the magic.