utgard14
Widowed lawyer Cary Grant hires Sophia Loren to take care of his three kids and moves them all onto a houseboat. He believes Sophia to be a maid but, in fact, she's the daughter of a famous Italian conductor. Comedy and romance ensues. Cary does well with a character that's not really likable at first. He has great chemistry with Sophia, who pretty much owns the picture. She's sexy, funny, and charming. The three kids are played by Paul Peterson (of Donna Reed Show fame), Charles Herbert (13 Ghosts, among others), and Mimi Gibson (this is probably her best role). They're all good, particularly Herbert. Love his scenes with Sophia. Harry Guardino is a treat as the guy who sells Cary the houseboat after destroying their other house. Cary's then-wife Betsy Drake was originally set to star. Their marriage was on the rocks at the time, and he was having an affair with Sophia, so she wound up with the part. It worked out best for us as it would have been a far different movie with Drake, who had a pretty bland screen presence. It's a pleasant, enjoyable mix of romantic and family comedy. Nothing unpredictable or deep but good fun.
edwagreen
Cary Grant and Sophia Loren in a romantic comedy about a man who was to be divorced only to lose his wife in a car accident. She has left him with 3 precocious children. He has neglected them as he is a government official.The children are filled with love but despair. In the midst of this is Martha Hyer, Grant's sister-in-law, who has recently separated from her husband and has confessed openly that she wants Grant.In the interim, we have a lovely Sophia Loren, who wishes to break away from her conductor father. Meeting Loren by chance, the film focuses how they fall in love.Everything seems to be going on track until the children, who at first loved Cinzia, (Loren) are upset that they may be losing their dad to this marriage. Of course, we still have Hyer who nearly marries her brother-in-law.Hyer captures the same upper-class figure that she expressed so well in "Some Came Running." She received a supporting nomination the same year for the latter film.There is also a nice supporting performance by Harry Guardino as a gigolo. It is his incompetence that leads all to the houseboat.The film belongs to Grant and Miss Loren. They truly capture the feeling of a daring government employee who tries to redeem himself among his children and a woman who seeks love desperately.The film is also memorable as it depicts class status.
bkoganbing
Cary Grant, prominent diplomat and widower, is trying to get acquainted again with his three kids, Paul Petersen, Mimi Gibson, and Charles Herbert. He's also got a sister-in-law, Martha Hyer, crushing out on him big time.But after the youngest kid, Herbert, wanders away after a concert, he meets Sophia Loren who is also running away from her conductor father, Eduardo Ciannelli. They are soul mates Herbert and Loren and before long she's moved in on the Grant family.Which is forced by circumstance I won't reveal to live on a houseboat in the woods in Maryland. The Houseboat and its many problems lend itself to a whole lot of physical problems and one rather dramatic one, when one of the kids nearly drowns. Cary gets a lot of good mileage out of the comedy.This was Cary and Sophia's second film together and it was one big improvement on the overblown Pride and the Passion. No doubt that the two of them were still involved from The Pride and the Passion lends a lot of truth in the scenes Grant and Loren play together.Also look for a nice performance by Harry Guardino who's the one who is responsible for the group being on the Houseboat.Houseboat is a nice family comedy and hasn't aged a bit from the Fifties when it was made.
MartinHafer
This is a very cute and inconsequential family film starring Cary Grant and the very young Sophia Loren. While it is not a movie that will change your life or make a huge impression, it's still an awful lot of fun. Cary is a widower who lives on a houseboat with his kids. The trouble is that he needs a combination housekeeper and mom for the kids, so he goes about trying to hire one. He picks Ms. Loren and after a while everyone in the family succumbs to her very ample charms. Considering she was a great housekeeper (though she couldn't cook), loved the kids and was built like,....Sophia Loren, it certainly isn't surprising that by the end of the film Cary has also recognized her as prime wife material. Predictable,...yes. But who cares, as it's a lot of fun and yet another nice outing from Grant. Plus, the romance that predictably develops between them and the way the film ends is highly entertaining. While I give this movie only a 7, it is well worth seeing--deep no--but lots of fun. About the only serious negative is the REALLY annoying song that Loren sings throughout the movie. But, once again, being Sophia Loren, most audiences of the day probably weren't there to hear her singing.
AD
