The Thin Man Goes Home
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Gloria DeHaven, Lucille Watson, Myrna Loy, Richard Thorpe, William PowellBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-08-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Thin Man Goes Home
Movie Review: "Just keep on doing what you're doing; I'll have the cocoa in a few minutes."
Summary: 5 Stars
10 years later, Nick and Nora Charles (and Asta) are back for a delightful fifth installment in the Thin Man series. This time, on Nick's birthday, the Charles are visiting Nick's parents in the rural, small town of Sycamore Springs. But all is not well between Nick and his dad, Dr. Bertram Charles (Harry Davenport). Nora is distressed to find out that Dr. Charles patronizingly looks down at Nick's "policeman" profession, and she asks Mrs. Charles if there are any cases lying about which Nick could solve to impress his father. If he could just make his father proud once, Nick'll pop a vest button. Well, no sooner asked than granted. One evening, a man is murdered at the Charles' front door and Nick and Nora find themselves suddenly embroiled in another humdinger of a murder mystery. Yes, this is a bit of a departure from the usual cosmopolitan settings in which we routinely see the Charles. However, it doesn't take long for Nick to start feeling right at home again as he strives to crack the case, despite the number of corpses piling up. En route, he unearths several small town secrets and uncovers a murderer and a spy ring. But is it enough to make a father proud?
True, Nick and Nora Charles, formerly the lives-of-the-cocktail-party, may have settled down a bit (after all, they have a brat now), and Nick now imbibes cider rather than martinis. But, even after all this time, Powell and Loy's dazzling chemistry is still very much intact. As usual, the murder mystery is secondary to the charming play between Nick and Nora. In fact, the mystery isn't even introduced until 30 minutes into the picture, as director Richard Thorpe first has the film leisurely wallow in an amusing train escapade, several introductions of quirky character actors, Nora's virtuoso breakdown of the case of Stinky Davis, and Nora's epic cage match with a lawn chair.
But even with the advent of the mystery element, the film still takes time to indulge in Nick and Nora frolickings. There's a little scene with Nick and Nora and her frustrated attempts to introduce his birthday present, a painting of a windmill from Nick's childhood. There's Nora's amateurish shadowing of a "suspect," with Nora, in turn, being followed, which all climaxes in a pool room brawl. And what about Nick foisting off his wife onto a partnerless sailor who longs to dance at a charity event? Jitterbug, anyone?
I get a kick out of how Nick Charles's urbane sophistication seems to strand him in the face of his father's low expectations. Dr. Charles never got over the disappointment of Nick not following him in the doctoring biz. A nice touch early on, which whets the viewer's appetite, is the scene of Nick ineptly fixing an endtable, only to have it fall apart and bushwhack him, leaving him prone on the carpet, which is exactly where his father finds him. Nick has to insist that Dr. Charles take a sip of his cider drink to convince him he isn't inebriated.
The dialogue as usual is smart and snappy; the plot is convoluted but is ably enlivened by two leads in full rapport with each other. The character actors, a great staple of the series, once again sparkle and divert. Lucile Watson as Mrs. Charles, Harry Davenport as Dr. Charles, Donald Meek as the pawnshop owner Mr. Crump, Gloria DeHaven as the overly dramatic Laura Ronson, Anne Revere as Crazy Mary, and Anita Sharp-Bolster as the suspicious Charles' housekeeper all do very credible work. The Thin Man Goes Home may not have the fresh and seminal quality of the first Thin Man, but at this point, any Thin Man installment is like comfort food or hot cocoa, brimming with warmth and nostalgia. This fifth offering is actually my second favorite of the series, after The Thin Man, and mostly because of the family dynamics brought in. The underlying theme of the film is Nick trying to make his father proud of him, and I'm on board with that.
I'm not one for suggesting that people spend their money frivolously, but the Thin Man series is that rare case where every film is worth its weight in gold. So my recommendation for folks thinking of purchasing a Thin Man movie: just go ahead and buy the entire box set collection. Trust me, if you own one Thin Man, you'll want to own the rest.
Summary of The Thin Man Goes Home
NICK & NORA INVESTIGATE A MURDER THAT HAPPENED AT NICK'SPARENTS' HOUSE.Similar DVD Movies
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