After the success of "Born Yesterday", a film adaptation of the play co-written by Garson Kanin and starring Judy Holliday, Columbia wanted to replicate those results and hired Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon to write a film specifically for Judy. The result is "The Marrying Kind".
"Born Yesterday" was worthy of its praise. The script was wonderful and the three main stars--Holliday, William Holden and Broderick Crawford--turn in performances that play off each other and perfectly define their characters. "The Marrying Kind", on the other hand, falls short and fails to use Judy's talents to their best advantage.
The film is what we now refer to as a dramedy. Judy Holliday certainly has that within her range and she tries (as Florrie)--with Aldo Ray who plays her husband (Chet) in the film--to honestly portray the blue collar couple that is the film's focus.
The first failure is the way the film makes Aldo Ray an insensitive oaf. And that makes Judy Holliday's character a woman who settles and who is not very discriminating. As viewers, we can't care as much as we should about their fates. As great as Kanin and Gordon are, this offering is not up to their usual standards, even if it might be daring.
The tale of their relationship is too desperate. And it contains little that can be considered romance. Chet is inattentive and clueless.
The story is told in flashbacks to a judge who will decide the outcome of their marriage. She is used as a tool lay out their history for consideration. The first problem is that Chet has a horrible memory, always recalling events from a position of bias. And when their relationship encounters a real tragedy, their is little substance to help the couple survive.
Fans of Judy Holliday or Aldo Ray (in his first fully credited role) may still enjoy this film on some level. It's also fun to look for Charles Bronson (uncredited) and Peggy Cass (uncredited and in her first film role).
"Born Yesterday" was worthy of its praise. The script was wonderful and the three main stars--Holliday, William Holden and Broderick Crawford--turn in performances that play off each other and perfectly define their characters. "The Marrying Kind", on the other hand, falls short and fails to use Judy's talents to their best advantage.
The film is what we now refer to as a dramedy. Judy Holliday certainly has that within her range and she tries (as Florrie)--with Aldo Ray who plays her husband (Chet) in the film--to honestly portray the blue collar couple that is the film's focus.
The first failure is the way the film makes Aldo Ray an insensitive oaf. And that makes Judy Holliday's character a woman who settles and who is not very discriminating. As viewers, we can't care as much as we should about their fates. As great as Kanin and Gordon are, this offering is not up to their usual standards, even if it might be daring.
The tale of their relationship is too desperate. And it contains little that can be considered romance. Chet is inattentive and clueless.
The story is told in flashbacks to a judge who will decide the outcome of their marriage. She is used as a tool lay out their history for consideration. The first problem is that Chet has a horrible memory, always recalling events from a position of bias. And when their relationship encounters a real tragedy, their is little substance to help the couple survive.
Fans of Judy Holliday or Aldo Ray (in his first fully credited role) may still enjoy this film on some level. It's also fun to look for Charles Bronson (uncredited) and Peggy Cass (uncredited and in her first film role).