'Made for each other' maintains a brisk pace in its storytelling and dialogue. That may be for the best, because any given scene seems to oscillate unpredictably between too much, too little, or just right. Sometimes the sense of humor feels sardonic and deadpan, while at others it's robust and exaggerated; occasionally it feels exactly on point. Sometimes the acting feels dulled and restrained, while at others it's over the top and excessive - though to the credit of all involved, mostly the performances are so level and intelligent that they become an anchoring point for the feature. The picture in some instances feels hopelessly ham-handed, while in others the entertainment is meager and wanting, and it struggles to hit exactly the right notes. As much as an air of awkwardness is built into so much of the course of events (especially early on), the production becomes more so owing to a lack of balance in its craft. This is enjoyable, but it's distinctly imperfect.
A frankly tragic and depressing concatenation of circumstances, one after the other, hounds newlyweds John and Jane after they impulsively wed one day after first meeting. There's levity in their wild and excitable comportment and initial optimism, and their reactions to this or that. Or I should say, some levity, in some of their reactions. Because with each little turn of antiquated values, professional difficulties, personal disapproval, missed opportunities, faltered expectations, or otherwise hardship, there's a great sadness that becomes increasingly prevalent not just in the telling of the story, but in the sharpest divisions, dour expressions, and most biting responses of the couple to the saga. This miasma of comedy and drama is theoretically enjoyable, but the screenplay dances along a fine line in the first place - and moreover, hits so close to home with sorrowful themes and story beats that are as appropriate to 2022 as 1939 that it's not unreasonable to ask "how is this supposed to be fun?"
One possible answer, of course, is that it's not. I think it would take very little, scarcely any fine-tuning at all, for the screenplay to become suitable material for one of Charlie Kaufman's artistic masterpieces that are equally, reliably brilliant and bleak, with light humor a thin veil over astoundingly dire and dark substance. One also detects hints of endlessly disheartening, inevitably grim dramas like (to name recognizable examples) 'Leaving Las Vegas,' or 'Requiem for a dream' - titles where we can see the awful train wreck coming well before it actually happens, but that doesn't make it any less difficult to watch unfold. Why, there are aspects that would be absolutely fitting for a psychological drama as one calamity after another plagues the beleaguered Mason household, and their fundamental emotional constitution crumbles bit by bit. All this makes the casting of bighearted, all-American icon Jimmy Stewart, and comedic genius Carole Lombard, either a terrible miscue - or utterly masterful.
To their great credit, even as the slant throughout 'Made for each other' seems to run counter to that of the best of their movies, Stewart and Lombard give performances that are exceptional. If there is any one irrefutable strength and focal point in this feature, they are it as they realize John and Jane with wonderful, withering range and nuance. Every shift, no matter how hopeful or hopeless, feels painfully real and meaningfully impactful, an exercise in stretching gloom-ridden human drama to its maximum. It's not just the stars, though, as everyone in supporting parts stands out just as brightly: Lucile Watson as John's imperious mother Harriet, Charles Coburn as cold Judge Doolittle, and even Louise Beavers in a still smaller role as the Mason's vibrantly warm housekeeper Lily. Then, too, I appreciate the contributions of those seeing to costume design, and hair and makeup, and lighting. John Cromwell's direction seems solidly capable, and producer David O. Selznick proves why his name should be one dependably familiar to anyone who has engaged with older films.
And still - still! - all this is almost undone by a narrative climax that more or less hinges on a tired trope, and an ending so decidedly gauche and heavy-handed as to all but break what investment one has had with the feature. For this alone I find it difficult to hold the picture in any higher regard, for these beats are unabashedly common, and forced, as the last impressions the title has to make. It's a definite flaw, considering that for all the back-and-forth throughout the rest of the length of what the plot was or could have been, there were many enticing ideas or possibilities. The end result of it all is a movie that mostly feels like it didn't know what it actually wanted to be.
It's hard to know who I would recommend this to. It's worthwhile for the acting, yes, and therefore a good view for utmost fans of the cast - with the caveat that it's a far cry from their best-known productions. The feature dallies with some intriguing notions, to some measure ahead of its time in communicating a tale of human drama - but it commits to none of them, and confuses the mixture with touches of humor that ultimately feel out of place. Suffice to say that while I wouldn't say 'Made for each other' is bad, it is marked with unexpected incongruities and mismatched moods that make it extra hard to pin down a concrete opinion generally. For all the ways in which I've found value herein, that I had to work and contort for it - not least of all for a movie from a time in cinema that was overall more straightforward - inherently knocks the feature down a few pegs. 'Made for each other' is worth checking out if you come across it, but don't sit back and relax, because whatever you're anticipating, this is something different.
A frankly tragic and depressing concatenation of circumstances, one after the other, hounds newlyweds John and Jane after they impulsively wed one day after first meeting. There's levity in their wild and excitable comportment and initial optimism, and their reactions to this or that. Or I should say, some levity, in some of their reactions. Because with each little turn of antiquated values, professional difficulties, personal disapproval, missed opportunities, faltered expectations, or otherwise hardship, there's a great sadness that becomes increasingly prevalent not just in the telling of the story, but in the sharpest divisions, dour expressions, and most biting responses of the couple to the saga. This miasma of comedy and drama is theoretically enjoyable, but the screenplay dances along a fine line in the first place - and moreover, hits so close to home with sorrowful themes and story beats that are as appropriate to 2022 as 1939 that it's not unreasonable to ask "how is this supposed to be fun?"
One possible answer, of course, is that it's not. I think it would take very little, scarcely any fine-tuning at all, for the screenplay to become suitable material for one of Charlie Kaufman's artistic masterpieces that are equally, reliably brilliant and bleak, with light humor a thin veil over astoundingly dire and dark substance. One also detects hints of endlessly disheartening, inevitably grim dramas like (to name recognizable examples) 'Leaving Las Vegas,' or 'Requiem for a dream' - titles where we can see the awful train wreck coming well before it actually happens, but that doesn't make it any less difficult to watch unfold. Why, there are aspects that would be absolutely fitting for a psychological drama as one calamity after another plagues the beleaguered Mason household, and their fundamental emotional constitution crumbles bit by bit. All this makes the casting of bighearted, all-American icon Jimmy Stewart, and comedic genius Carole Lombard, either a terrible miscue - or utterly masterful.
To their great credit, even as the slant throughout 'Made for each other' seems to run counter to that of the best of their movies, Stewart and Lombard give performances that are exceptional. If there is any one irrefutable strength and focal point in this feature, they are it as they realize John and Jane with wonderful, withering range and nuance. Every shift, no matter how hopeful or hopeless, feels painfully real and meaningfully impactful, an exercise in stretching gloom-ridden human drama to its maximum. It's not just the stars, though, as everyone in supporting parts stands out just as brightly: Lucile Watson as John's imperious mother Harriet, Charles Coburn as cold Judge Doolittle, and even Louise Beavers in a still smaller role as the Mason's vibrantly warm housekeeper Lily. Then, too, I appreciate the contributions of those seeing to costume design, and hair and makeup, and lighting. John Cromwell's direction seems solidly capable, and producer David O. Selznick proves why his name should be one dependably familiar to anyone who has engaged with older films.
And still - still! - all this is almost undone by a narrative climax that more or less hinges on a tired trope, and an ending so decidedly gauche and heavy-handed as to all but break what investment one has had with the feature. For this alone I find it difficult to hold the picture in any higher regard, for these beats are unabashedly common, and forced, as the last impressions the title has to make. It's a definite flaw, considering that for all the back-and-forth throughout the rest of the length of what the plot was or could have been, there were many enticing ideas or possibilities. The end result of it all is a movie that mostly feels like it didn't know what it actually wanted to be.
It's hard to know who I would recommend this to. It's worthwhile for the acting, yes, and therefore a good view for utmost fans of the cast - with the caveat that it's a far cry from their best-known productions. The feature dallies with some intriguing notions, to some measure ahead of its time in communicating a tale of human drama - but it commits to none of them, and confuses the mixture with touches of humor that ultimately feel out of place. Suffice to say that while I wouldn't say 'Made for each other' is bad, it is marked with unexpected incongruities and mismatched moods that make it extra hard to pin down a concrete opinion generally. For all the ways in which I've found value herein, that I had to work and contort for it - not least of all for a movie from a time in cinema that was overall more straightforward - inherently knocks the feature down a few pegs. 'Made for each other' is worth checking out if you come across it, but don't sit back and relax, because whatever you're anticipating, this is something different.