I found this film oddly frustrating, and part of my problem may have been that it was billed as addressing a slew of great contemporary American issues, and the McCarthy witch-hunts in particular: I was expecting serious drama, not romantic comedy. As a drama, it waves its major plot line out of the way with such cursory ease that I couldn't believe that was the actual end of the film until the lights came up: I was expecting Cary Grant's nemesis to come back to bite him in a slightly more effective way. The whole sinister Shunderson thing (trailed in the very first scene) is inadequately explained, since the tale we're treated to really doesn't address any of the terrifying hints that have been dropped about him, and the nature of Praetorius' alleged crime is equally underwhelming -- with the build-up we were given, I was expecting him to have been engaged in zombie-raising or some kind of 'real' miracles that could have got him drummed out of a small-minded town, and disgraced in his profession...
But considered as romantic comedy, it's far too preachy and unevenly paced; frankly, I found it self-indulgent. There seem to be far too many separate elements of plot, and they're not particularly well connected. The comedy scenes are often pitch-forked in for no apparent reason (look, the German professor is eating sauerkraut and sausage! How hilarious!) and the romance does strain at the further bounds of belief. As an amateur musician myself, I enjoyed the orchestral scenes (complete with trombones oiling their slides in the background, and the inevitable player who fails to watch the conductor, even when the latter goes to wilder and wilder extremes to attract his attention), but even then I found the final scene a little unsubtle.
The film has many enjoyable moments, but as a story it's lacking both in shape and in pay-off. If a friend asked me, I wouldn't go so far as to recommend it.
But considered as romantic comedy, it's far too preachy and unevenly paced; frankly, I found it self-indulgent. There seem to be far too many separate elements of plot, and they're not particularly well connected. The comedy scenes are often pitch-forked in for no apparent reason (look, the German professor is eating sauerkraut and sausage! How hilarious!) and the romance does strain at the further bounds of belief. As an amateur musician myself, I enjoyed the orchestral scenes (complete with trombones oiling their slides in the background, and the inevitable player who fails to watch the conductor, even when the latter goes to wilder and wilder extremes to attract his attention), but even then I found the final scene a little unsubtle.
The film has many enjoyable moments, but as a story it's lacking both in shape and in pay-off. If a friend asked me, I wouldn't go so far as to recommend it.