Life With Father (1947) :
Brief Review -
William Powell and Irene Dunne both run riot in Michael Curtiz's genuine comedy on Clarence Day's life. Clarence Day's humorous life gave birth to some chapters that were turned into a Play. So as we know, numerous hit plays have got cinematic adaptations since the makers know that it's always a safe bet. Life With Father is a family comedy full of peculiarly smart people who don't behave weirdly but are indeed sarcastically funny. Modern family, I would say, but the religious arguments have been dated for an American family. William Powell had already done "Jewel Robbery" (1932), "One Way Passage" (1932), "The Thin Man" series, "My Man Godfrey" (1936), "Libeled Lady" (1937) and "I Love You Again" (1940), which were overflowing with humour. These films actually gave him an image that the legendary actor later carried for almost two decades. Having seen those Powell flicks, one must know what to expect from Life With Father. And believe me, he delivers exactly that. The same attitude, the same dialogue delivery like a disciplined, well-mannered, and sophisticated man, and the same persona-William Powell, you Beauty! "If there's one place the Church should leave alone, it's a man's soul!" Irene Dunne had also done many comedies by that time, but this character was too hysterical for a lady. She is dumbly smart. How's that word? Well, you'll understand when you watch her in the film. Powell and Dunne both run riot in this comedy, but unfortunately, the writing doesn't really live up to their standard. It's a 2-hour film, almost half an hour, or say 20 minutes, longer than standard comedies of Old Hollywood. That's why it feels a bit slow in the second half, and things are very predictable there. Curtiz has given us many brilliant classics in the drama and swashbuckling genres, and I'm glad to know that he tried his hands at outright comedy without messing things up completely.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
William Powell and Irene Dunne both run riot in Michael Curtiz's genuine comedy on Clarence Day's life. Clarence Day's humorous life gave birth to some chapters that were turned into a Play. So as we know, numerous hit plays have got cinematic adaptations since the makers know that it's always a safe bet. Life With Father is a family comedy full of peculiarly smart people who don't behave weirdly but are indeed sarcastically funny. Modern family, I would say, but the religious arguments have been dated for an American family. William Powell had already done "Jewel Robbery" (1932), "One Way Passage" (1932), "The Thin Man" series, "My Man Godfrey" (1936), "Libeled Lady" (1937) and "I Love You Again" (1940), which were overflowing with humour. These films actually gave him an image that the legendary actor later carried for almost two decades. Having seen those Powell flicks, one must know what to expect from Life With Father. And believe me, he delivers exactly that. The same attitude, the same dialogue delivery like a disciplined, well-mannered, and sophisticated man, and the same persona-William Powell, you Beauty! "If there's one place the Church should leave alone, it's a man's soul!" Irene Dunne had also done many comedies by that time, but this character was too hysterical for a lady. She is dumbly smart. How's that word? Well, you'll understand when you watch her in the film. Powell and Dunne both run riot in this comedy, but unfortunately, the writing doesn't really live up to their standard. It's a 2-hour film, almost half an hour, or say 20 minutes, longer than standard comedies of Old Hollywood. That's why it feels a bit slow in the second half, and things are very predictable there. Curtiz has given us many brilliant classics in the drama and swashbuckling genres, and I'm glad to know that he tried his hands at outright comedy without messing things up completely.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.