jdsuggs This is a depressing exercise of that mid-sixties genre in which the Greatest Generation skewers the Swinging Sixties and its own middle age at the same time. You've seen it plenty: Mom or Pop makes the scene, does the Frug, and flirts with infidelity, embarrassing the teenage daughter, while humoring her pretentious boyfriend as he spews pseudo-modern, pseudo-intellectual psychobabble. The marriage is in some kind of mid-life jeopardy and we get lots of racy dallying with modern morality before- (surely this is not a genre-wide spoiler!)- reaffirming traditional values in a final clinch. Actually, some of these are kind of fun, and they're nearly always fun to look at and listen to.Not this one.The comic situation here takes way too long to develop, spends a great deal of that time telling you exactly what's going to happen before it happens, and isn't even a little bit funny or believable. Whatever comic opportunities are there just aren't delivered upon, and the pacing is excruciating. The characters are such loose sketches that we aren't tempted to buy them either. Perhaps worst of all, the comic talents of a great cast are wasted, and not just the principles- while Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and a very game Deborah Kerr are striking out, great talent like Reta Shaw, Kathleen Freeman, John McGiver, and Parley Baer are left to ride the bench in a film that's thirty minutes too long.The Scottish mother-in-law and Cesar Romero's shyster, both broadly stereotyped, bring the only really lively support, and it's mostly just bellowing and posturing.The only redemption here, if any, is Dean Martin's bachelor pad, a wonderful set on which nothing really happens. And the color is pretty nice and lively for the most part, as per the period. And brunette Nancy Sinatra gives it her best and is always fun to watch. She has great chemistry with her dad and Dean.To cleanse your soul of this, pull out Preston Sturges' immortal "The Palm Beach Story" and see how a marriage comedy should move and breathe.

writers_reign Though you'll go a long way to find a bigger Sinatra fan than me I'm not the besotted type who thinks the idol in question can do no wrong and I'm well aware of his substandard work as both singer and actor or, to put it another way, Mama Will Bark was not the only dog with which he was associated. It's hard to imagine exactly who and at what obviously early stage ever thought there was a scintilla of merit in this turkey which relies on the audience 'getting' the joke that Sinatra, a celebrated swinger in real life, is here cast as a boring husband so much so that wife Deborah Kerr seriously attempts to use boredom as grounds for divorce. Nepotism is certainly alive and well with roles for daughter Nancy and real-life (at the time) son-in-law Tommy Sands. Best buddy Dean Martin plays himself and flavor of the month Tony Bill - Sinatra cast him in Come Blow Your Horn and None But The Brave - also turns up cast against type. There's minimal chemistry between Kerr and Sinatra, Cesar Romero does his best as the stereotype foreign jack-of-all-trades and to add insult to injury Sinatra allows Trini Lopez to stink up the screen when he himself could have supplied a real vocal interlude. For completists only.

wes-connors "Fuddy-duddy" Frank Sinatra (as Dan Edwards) runs an advertising agency, with "drinking man" Dean Martin (as Ernie Brewer) assisting. Mr. Sinatra thinks housewife Deborah Kerr (as Valerie) is happily married, but she wants a divorce "on the grounds of boredom." Sinatra thinks, "I don't have to be romantic." Ms. Kerr wonders what life would be like if she married Mr. Martin, who romances a succession of busty secretaries. Through a series of misunderstandings, Kerr gets her wish…Sinatra, Kerr, and Martin do not live up to the marquee value of their names. At least, Kerr seems to be alert. Teenage daughter Nancy Sinatra (as Tracy) and Honda hopping son Michael Petit (as David) are much better than the big stars. Boyfriend Tony Bill (Jim Blake) and an able supporting cast help… a little. Strangely enough, Sinatra and Martin sing no songs; instead, their "Reprise" label is represented by Trini Lopez doing "Sinner Man", a minor hit after the film's original release.**** Marriage on the Rocks (9/16/65) Jack Donohue ~ Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, Dean Martin, Nancy Sinatra

edwagreen Tedious Frank Sinatra and Deborah Kerr film. I think they made up for the fact that they had no scenes together 12 years before in "From Here to Eternity."Despite a great cast, the film sags as Frank Sinatra plays a family man who is boring Val (his wife Deborah) after 19 years of marriage. He has a swinging business partner Dean Martin, who was rejected by Val when she married Dan (Sinatra) instead.The picture becomes nonsensical when the couple go to Mexico for a second honeymoon, quarrel and wind up divorced by the unscrupulous Cesar Romero. The laughs begin when the two immediately decide to retie the knot, but when Dan can't join Val, Dino flies into Mexico instead only to wed Val by a Spanish speaking priest instead.The film then deals with the change of roles brought on by this marriage as it affects all 3 characters. You see, Val is hesitant in signing the divorce papers with Dino so that she can remarry Dan.Hermione Baddeley steals the show as Val's Irish Rose of a mother. Nancy Sinatra appears in the worthless role of the daughter of Dan and Val, who is looking to spread her wings with a room-mate and eventually marry nerd psychiatrist Tony Bill. Bill, who was so good as Sinatra's kid brother in "Come Blow Your Horn," has little to do here.The film is good for a couple of laughs but is highly predictable. Also, Kerr is just too British to assume the role of Val.