I just finished watching this movie, and then read the reviews. Pretty much to a one, they all talk mainly about Abbott and Costello. So I'm not going to say a word about them, other than to say that they were clearly the best part of the film.
Instead I want to focus on the rest of the film. It was pretty awful. It started out well enough, lighthearted and fun, with a promising, silly plot about love insurance. But after a while, the plot really got bogged down, and, frankly, off-putting.
The problem was, by the time we get deep into the movie, I found myself disliking pretty much all the characters and not really caring about what happens to them or wanting to see their story. At the beginning of the film, Steve and Cynthia seem like a great couple, truly and deeply in love, and the opposition of the obnoxious aunt only cements in the viewers mind that we want to see these two end up together. But instead, both of them turn out to be shallow and fickle, with Steve ending up with Mickie and Cynthia ending up with Lucky. Mickie was obnoxious and unlikeable from the start, so I couldn't feel happy seeing Steve end up with her. Cynthia treated Steve shamefully-- why on earth was she so offended by the insurance policy, when all it meant was that Steve loved her so much that he was willing to spend $100,000 to make sure their marriage didn't get derailed (a fear he had, by the way, because Cynthia had treated him so badly the night before)? Her love and trust proved so shallow that I ended up hating her.
And the worst part is, it all makes the ridiculous, contemptible Aunt end up vindicated and correct in the end!
So, the story gets drearier and drearier as the movie goes on (as do the songs, by the way), until by the end we just don't care about the characters or the outcome. There really is no emotional payoff *at all* when either couple ends up together. Yeah, I know this is just a silly musical comedy, not a great romance, but still. You shouldn't be left feeling like "what on earth do these people see in each other???"
So, for me, this mess rates about 2 stars. Abbott and Costello, in their minor roles, single-handedly bring it up to 5.
Instead I want to focus on the rest of the film. It was pretty awful. It started out well enough, lighthearted and fun, with a promising, silly plot about love insurance. But after a while, the plot really got bogged down, and, frankly, off-putting.
The problem was, by the time we get deep into the movie, I found myself disliking pretty much all the characters and not really caring about what happens to them or wanting to see their story. At the beginning of the film, Steve and Cynthia seem like a great couple, truly and deeply in love, and the opposition of the obnoxious aunt only cements in the viewers mind that we want to see these two end up together. But instead, both of them turn out to be shallow and fickle, with Steve ending up with Mickie and Cynthia ending up with Lucky. Mickie was obnoxious and unlikeable from the start, so I couldn't feel happy seeing Steve end up with her. Cynthia treated Steve shamefully-- why on earth was she so offended by the insurance policy, when all it meant was that Steve loved her so much that he was willing to spend $100,000 to make sure their marriage didn't get derailed (a fear he had, by the way, because Cynthia had treated him so badly the night before)? Her love and trust proved so shallow that I ended up hating her.
And the worst part is, it all makes the ridiculous, contemptible Aunt end up vindicated and correct in the end!
So, the story gets drearier and drearier as the movie goes on (as do the songs, by the way), until by the end we just don't care about the characters or the outcome. There really is no emotional payoff *at all* when either couple ends up together. Yeah, I know this is just a silly musical comedy, not a great romance, but still. You shouldn't be left feeling like "what on earth do these people see in each other???"
So, for me, this mess rates about 2 stars. Abbott and Costello, in their minor roles, single-handedly bring it up to 5.