yjudith I only came on here to say that yes, this movie tries real hard, but it was made during WW2. Many movie tried too hard...to bring some kind of distraction from the horrors of war. It's a well-known fact. That being said I thought it was a great movie.

JLRVancouver I will admit that I was disappointed with "The Man Who Came to Dinner". I was expecting the humour to be a little dated, with lots of the hammy delivery, 'double-takes', and 'slow burns' that were a staple of comedies of that era, but I was also expecting the witty and sparkling dialogue that characterises the best of the genre (1934's "The Thin Man" being a good example). While Sheridan Whiteside (Monty Woolley) had lots of acerbic one-liners, most of the other characters simply served as targets, so there was not much of the 'give and take' repartee that can really liven up this kind of stagy story. Not surprisingly, Jimmy Durante 'over-the-topped' his manic 'Banjo' role while, on the other hand, Bette Davis was moderately restrained, playing a role than any Hollywood ingénue could have handled. The rest of the ensemble cast was fine, especially Anne Sheridan as a sultry parvenu from Kansas, character actress Mary Wickes as Nurse Preen, and Reginald Gardiner as Beverly Carlton (whose 'upper class twit of the year' impression was a highlight (IMO)). The broad-comedy bits (e.g. the arrival of penguins, octopi, etc. at the Stanley's besieged home) just seemed contrived and ridiculous and did a lot to lower my overall opinion of the film. All in all, I was underwhelmed but comedy is a very personal taste, so take my comments as opinion, not recommendation. Note: the script name-drops a 1940's 'who's who', so some viewers may want access to Google while watching (Zazu Pitts or Walt Winchell jokes being bit obscure these days), but I doubt that I'd want to watch an updated remake (on stage or film) – a phone call from Eleanor Roosevelt seems inherently funnier than a phone call from Melania Trump.

utgard14 I'm really surprised at how many negative reviews there are for this film, considered by many (myself included) to be a comedy classic. In today's era when insult humor, sarcasm, cynicism, and downright nastiness are the status quo, one would expect a comedy with bite like this to be more beloved than most from the Golden Age. The story, adapted from George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's play, is about an acid-tongued radio personality (based on the real-life Alexander Woollcott) who is injured and forced to stay in the home of a Midwestern family over the Christmas season. He takes over their home, sticks his nose into their affairs, berates everyone, and proves himself to be the worst, most obnoxious houseguest ever.Despite being third-billed, Monty Woolley is the true star here in his signature role. He manages to make a jerk character likable long enough for us to eventually find out he does have a heart after all. He has almost all of the film's many quotable lines. Bette Davis is solid in a lesser part for her at this point in her career. She's very 'ordinary' here, which makes this a different kind of role for her but still fascinating for her fans. She also has one of my favorite lines from the film not spoken by Woolley - "Here I am a hard-bitten old cynic, behaving like Winnie the Pooh and liking it." Lovely Ann Sheridan, as a seductive diva, comes closest to stealing any of the scenes from Woolley. It's one of my favorite roles of hers and, no, not just because in one scene she goes braless under a blouse that leaves little to the imagination. I'm shocked that made it past the censors. The rest of the excellent cast includes Billie Burke, Jimmy Durante, Grant Mitchell, Reginald Gardiner, and Mary Wickes. The lone complaint I have about the cast is Richard Travis as the local journalist and would-be playwright who becomes Bette's love interest. He's insufferably corny, with a wooden line delivery that grates on the nerves. Someone like Dennis Morgan could have pulled off the "aww shucks" routine with far more charisma (and he probably would have thrown in a song, too). There is a staginess to the film at times, as there almost always was back in the day when they adapted plays to the screen. But the script is so good and the cast so nice that it didn't bother me. It's a great movie that most classic film fans will enjoy, particularly fans of Sheridan and Woolley.

ptb-8 Some supposed great films of their time (in this case, the late 30s/early 40s) find fame and reputation. It might even last a decade or two, but in this case this appalling unfunny film should be put into the window seat cavity in (the genuinely funny) ARSENIC AND OLD LACE. The main character Sheridan Whiteside, as played by blustering queen Monty Woolley is utterly tiresome by the third 'hilarious blistering insult', all of which are over worded and each of which are just ridiculous and stupid. If this film is written to be a farce then it succeeds. But it is also just plain mean spirited. Yes Whiteside is supposed to be that but he is so repulsive and abrasive for 100 minutes that had I lived in that house I would have gladly tossed him into the street and happily paid the consequences. THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER has not dated well and the film now would provoke curiosity only in bewilderment as audiences ask 'is this supposed to be funny? This guy is a prick'.