Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . aping each of Kate's trademark screwball comedy wry wriggles, shrugs, and grunts in a desperate effort to rope Cary Grant into pulling off another BRINGING UP BABY. Unfortunately, Randolph Scott is more of a Tarzan than a leopard, and Dunne's relationship to Grant during MY FAVORITE WIFE brings to mind one of Groucho's lines ("This morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas"). Even though it runs less than 90 minutes, MY FAVORITE WIFE seems to be packed with at least half an hour of "padding," from the shoe salesman through the insurance investigator to the final interminable squeaks-in-the-attic scene. Though as a "chick flick" MY FAVORITE WIFE may merit a rating of "8" for its ability to make men look foolish, as a script it's a "6" at best. ADAM'S RIB this is not. While Mr. Scott's approach to getting into a High Society swimming pool merits a chuckle, the tagline's promise of "A Laff a Minute" makes one wonder if WIFE's distributor--RKO movie studio--went belly-up because of this sort of false advertising.
Brucey D
Lawyer Nick Arden (Cary Grant) has just remarried when his first wife Ellen (Irene Dunne) returns from presumed death by shipwreck seven years earlier. Not even her children recognise her, and in the meantime she has been declared legally dead and the life insurance has paid out.This is a decent enough film and if you are a Cary Grant or Irene Dunne fan you will want to see it. There are not as many screwball laughs as there might have been, the character's motivations are not quite plausible and the plot is a bit lumpy but it is really quite enjoyable.Remade as 'Move over, Darling' in 1963, whether you will prefer this version probably depends on whether you like your movies with the flavour of the 1940s or the 1960s.I give it (in the context of the time) an 8/10.
nomoons11
It amazes me that these 2 didn't make more films together. There were easily as good as Grant and Hepburn. What a crazy premise for a film. A guy goes to court to get his first wife declared legally dead so he can marry again. His wife was supposedly drowned or lost at sea in a ship/ferry accident 7 years earlier. He looked and looked for her to no avail. On his honeymoon, the day they get married, his long lost wife reappears out of nowhere. After this....hilarity ensues.Trust me folks, forget the junky newer comedy you were thinking about watching. Find this one and be prepared to laugh til it hurts. The laughs are mainly from what Irene Dunne does to Cary Grant. She runs him through the ringer. Grant doesn't have the courage to tell his new wife, whom no one likes, that his wife is back. Situation after situation she tears him up with what females do to men...verbally. They both still love each other and he's a nice guy but she forces his hand in telling his new bride. It's the way she does it that'll bring Grant to his knees.I think the scene stealer of this comedy gem is the actor who plays the judge. The first 5 minutes in this judge takes the film from Grant and goes with it. Towards the end at the annulment hearing he does it again. He's just a scene stealer all the way.No doubt if you've seen Move over Darlin from the 60's the theme seems familiar. That'll be because it was a remake of this. The newer version to me is more of a family comedy whilst this early comedy gem is just a plain out and out screwball comedy. Try this on for size and be prepared to laugh and laugh and laugh. It's just that darn funny folks.
TheLittleSongbird
This is not my favourite screwball comedy of all time or anything, but I did really enjoy it. It is compared to The Awful Truth, and I will say I do prefer The Awful Truth, and while people may find this blasphemous I preferred 1963's Move Over Darling too.Where the film doesn't quite succeed is that it felt a little too short, the film's end takes a little too long and felt misplaced and there are some moments in the middle where the film drags a bit.However, it looks good, is well directed, is well scored, while the story is great, the screenplay a lot of fun and the performances from Irene Dunne, Gail Patrick and especially Cary Grant are fun. In terms of casting, the only weak link is Randolph Scott, not that he was terrible or anything but he is very underused seeing his role feels I agree more of a cameo than a fully-fleshed out character. So overall, good but not great, worth seeing for Grant. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox
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