Reviews

IHON rightly earns it's place as one of the greatest romantic comedies in film history. A pioneer of the screwball comedy genre, it holds up very well 71 years after it was made.

It's a classic tale of the battle of sexes- something that is still so relevant today. We follow the story of spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert), who jumps ship from her father's yacht (literally!) in Florida after an argument with said father (played by Walter Connolly) over her marrying wealthy playboy King Westley (Jameson Thomas) without her father's consent. Ellie is on a mission- to get to New York to King Westley. But how will she do it? That's how Peter Warne (played by a delightfully handsome Clark Gable) comes into the story. Recently fired from his newspaper job, Peter meets Ellie on the Night Bus to New York, and, realizing who she is (Her story is all over the news, after all!), offers to help her get to NY and Westley if she gives him an exclusive story- to win him back his job. And so the fun begins. Colbert and Gable have great chemistry as the mismatched couple thrown together after a series of unusual circumstances. The trip isn't a smooth one- and we are taken on a wild ride with Peter and Ellie, which gives us great scenes such as the doughnut-dunking lesson, Walls Of Jericho and the now-classic hitchhiking scene. The humour is still fresh and fast-paced over 70 years later. Oops, I almost forgot the classic 'no undershirt scene' where Gable sexily gives Colbert a lesson in how a man undresses, to reveal (shock horror!) no undershirt, but a bare chest! This had a bad effect on the sales of men's undershirts, which dropped dramatically after the film's release (One of the first examples of product placement in film). Great supporting characters, particularly the scene-stealing Oscar Shapeley (Roscoe Karns). Of course it has it's faults- all early talkies do. But any faults are outweighed by the great story. Technically, it was well-made for it's time.

IHON won 5 Oscars- Best Picture, Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Actress and Best Actor for Colbert and Gable and Best Adaptation. It deserved all of them. Funnily enough, both Colbert and Gable didn’t want any part in the film at first- I bet they changed their viewpoint after the surprise success and the prestigious Academy Awards they gained for it. It's been said that a number of Disney characters like Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam and Pepe LePew were inspired by characters in this film. A classic, a must-see, a great movie.

I actually attempted to read the book by Stephen Daldry after watching this movie- and again, I found the same problem. It was slow and boring.

I really did not like this film at all- it was just too moody. It tried to be really deep, to be meaningful- it tried too hard. When a film tries too hard to reach something, it usually sucks. Certainly was the case with 'The Hours'.

You probably all know the Virginia Woolf story, so I won't go into too much depth.

I really did not believe Kidman should have won that Oscar for this- much acting wasn't required, except endless moodiness. The only reason she won was because of the physical transformation...and that prosthetic nose. Kidman certainly hasn't reached her peak as an actor, and this film was no exception. She did little to convey the emotional state of Woolf, the role was so complex, as Virginia was a complex soul, yet Kidman made her look shrewish, cold and, quite frankly, off in la-la land. Maybe the writing was to blame (so one-dimensional, hardly any character explanation).

Moore was the saving grace for me in the movie. Hers was the only character I could feel anything for, she played the part perfectly. Ed Harris was good, too.

Meryl Streep..I've never been a big fan of hers. She has always been so clinical in her acting. She is never actually believable, can never convey emotions that strongly. She acts with her brain, not her heart. She did the same with this movie- there could have been so much more brought to the role of Clarissa, but Streep failed.

3/10.

Yes, it's a teen gross-out comedy- but it's actually quite a good one, at that! American Pie follows a simple plot- a group of male teenagers make a pact to lose their virginity before graduation from high school, in any way possible. And let's where all the fun starts!

I thought this could have easily been a heartless, purely gross-laughs teen comedy, but it wasn't. The actors give the story life- particularly Jason Biggs, who plays the lead of Jim. He makes nerdish & nervous teen guys seem pretty nice :)

Sean William Scott showed his comedic worth in this movie...he steals the screen with his portrayal of Stifler.

Definitely has some gross moments- who could forget that 'toilet' scene?

Good value for money. And Eugene Levy is a comedic STAR, as Jim's embarrassingly helpful dad.

7/10