Made for Each Other (1939) User Reviews

Sugary Melodrama

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 2 December 2005]

James Stewart and Carole Lombard meet and marry on impulse while Stewart is in Boston on a case.

When they get back to New York the two of them go through a lot of the trials that newlyweds do, a seemingly unfeeling and uncomprehending boss, a bitter mother-in-law for Lombard, a new baby and then a sick toddler. I guess the fact that they get through it all is proof that they were indeed Made for Each Other.

Other reviewers have noted some similarities between It's A Wonderful Life and Penny Serenade. They are certainly there. What's not there is the screwball comedy that we remember Carole Lombard for. No laughs in this one, she plays this quite seriously and shows her versatility.

Stewart however is pure Stewart. It's as if Jefferson Smith had gone to law school instead of becoming a Boy Ranger. He's so idealistic and full of hope as he starts married life with Lombard. As he appeals to Charles Coburn for financial help to save his kid, the whole audience in the theaters must have felt along with him.

The two have some problems keeping household staff and when they find one they really like, their budget crunch forces them to let Louise Beavers go. Though it sure has some racial clichés in it, my favorite moment comes from Louise Beavers in that scene with Carole Lombard as Lombard tells her they will have to discharge her. Beavers is a woman with real heart and soul and her words of comfort to Lombard never fail to move me.

For fans of melodramatic soap opera and the two stars. Some may find Made for Each Other too saccharine, but I like it.

A disjointed tearjerker - uneven, maudlin and overall not up to snuff for Stewart and Lombard

[movieman-200 · 6/10 · 15 June 2005]

"Made for Each Other" stars resident scatterbrain, Carole Lombard and congenial James Stewart as Jane and John Mason, a couple on a whirlwind romance to nowhere. John works for a curmudgeon judge, Joseph Doolittle (Charles Coburn), a professional alliance that is at odds with the effervescence of his newlywed life. A greater hurdle to overcome is Jane's live in mother, Harriet (Lucile Watson) who intrudes upon the couple's idyllic domestic paradise with all the tact and humility of the proverbial bull in a china shop. By the time New Year's Eve rolls around the edges of martial Shangra-la have become so frayed that both John and Jane contemplate the longevity of a future together. Their sudden realization that their marriage may be over, which takes place amidst the gaiety of romantic couples celebrating the New Year, reaches a level of heartbreaking poignancy that, alas, the rest of the story lacks. Financial stresses brought on by a change at work eventually culminated with a devastating illness that may claim the life of John and Jane's infant.

Director John Cromwell spins a cinematic tapestry of lives that are the embodiment of those proverbial ups and downs we all encounter in life – at least during the first two acts of his story. Cromwell's sprite and accessible direction allows even the sensitive charm and poignancy of secondary characters their chance to shine. Unfortunately for all concerned, the last act of this story is maudlin melodrama and an insane layering of cliché that drives the story into a downward lack of restraint. Though the effervescent triumph of the human spirit is never far from Cromwell's vision for the film, it's ultimately that old fashioned sentiment that salvages the whole affair from becoming overly sweet or dire.

MGM's DVD is impressive. The B&W picture exhibits a very nicely balanced gray scale with smooth, solid blacks and very clean whites. Age related artifacts are present throughout but do not distract. Some minor edge enhancement crops up and there is more than a hint of pixelization in infrequent spots but overall the picture will surely not disappoint. The audio is mono but more than adequate for a film of this vintage. There are no extras.

A real "mixed bag"

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 24 January 2007]

This film concerns newlyweds, Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard and their attempt to have a successful and happy life together. The problem is that repeatedly, Stewart's character is so weak and ineffectual that the family is always struggling to make ends meet (though they had a cook through much of the film, so they couldn't be THAT bad off). In addition, because of his and his wife's weakness, the marriage was often damaged by Stewart's obnoxious and demanding mother (played by Lucille Watson, who made a career out of playing obnoxious old ladies)--who they allowed to live with them despite her being a very unpleasant person. As far as his job went, Stewart was a young lawyer who seemed to allow his job to run his life and offered him little consideration in return.

The acting through all of these ups and downs was terrific and the film rather engaging. And you know that when a movie stars Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard, it must be a pretty good film. Well, this is a very entertaining film, but somehow I can't help but think it could have been a bit better. In other words, instead of a better than average film, the movie COULD have risen above this but was hampered by two major problems--Stewart's character was too weak and annoying through much of the film and occasionally this soapy film got so melodramatic that it seemed hard to believe. Towards the end, when their baby got deathly ill, it was at times very touching and well-done--particularly when Lombard cried as well as the scene where Watson apologized and talked about why she was a nasty old crank. But, at others, it seemed pretty heavy-handed and schmaltzy.

All in all, a mixed bag but still entertaining and worth seeing if you are a fan of classic Hollywood films.

Touching (if flawed) story of likeable young married couple.

[otter · 14 March 1999]

Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard make an incredibly appealing couple, one whose everyday middle-class joys and sorrows you like sharing. That's all there is to the movie, pretty much, Jimmy and Carole get married, have a baby, deal with in-laws, money troubles, changes in their relationship, all the things everyone does. It's the opposite of an Action Flick, here domestic sorrows like pay cuts and not having a baby sitter on New Year's Eve are treated as seriously as real people treat them, and the movie is well made enough that you care. Who couldn't care about such nice, funny, sensitive people? For much of its length, it's a better "Penny Serenade".

The place where it falls apart is the ending, which is a ludicrously inappropriate melodrama about flying medicine in from thousands of miles away in a storm, it just doesn't belong in the same movie. But, I like the story behind it: Like a character in the movie, producer David Selznick's brother Myron (a power agent) was taken seriously ill, and was basically given up for dead. A doctor said that the only thing that could save him was a rare/experimental drug that wasn't available in LA, it had to be flown in from the east coast in terrible weather. The Selznick family sweated for hours, trying to keep in touch with a heroic pilot who was risking his life to save a stranger. When the pilot landed safely and Myron was saved, David Selznick the workaholic producer said "This it too good to waste on Myron. Let's put it in a picture!" I just wish he'd waited for a better place to use it.

An up and down movie, the ups really spectacular...

[secondtake · 7/10 · 7 October 2010]

Made for Each Other (1939)

"Last year there were half a million divorces in this country. Congratulations."

And that is the beginning of a sometimes-screwball comedy that turns very serious by the end, with James Stewart leading the charge. It could be screwier, and Jimmy Stewart is more lovable than hilarious, so the humor revolves around him as the foil. Carole Lombard, his partner in crime, can be more zany, for sure, but even there, she is more restrained than other films (like "Twentieth Century"). It's the situation, and the rest of the cast, who make this funny...and eventually tragic.

How exactly it drags at times is hard to say. Oddly, even Stewart is a little off base, exaggerating too much. The plot, overall, lacks drive. You might think this doesn't matter in a silly comedy, but it does very much. In fact, because this comedy is laced with a fair amount of normal drama, it needs a basic conflict that dramas need. There are some terrific scenes--the New Year's moment is really moving, and the scenes after that--and these are the reason to watch.

On some level, this is a type of drama/comedy that is aimed at new parents, or newlyweds. The couple's focus on the baby reminded me of "Christmas in Connecticut," and "Penny Serenade." I wish it just worked better, but too often it bumbles along, one little moment after another, the result of imperfect direction (John Cromwell) and a weak script. So it does the best it can, and the last half hour is its best, with high drama kicking in. This is a David O. Selznick production in the same year as his slightly more famous movie, "Gone with the Wind."

Lombard And Stewart Make This Film Worth Watching

[jem132 · 7/10 · 21 April 2006]

The always excellent Carole Lombard takes on a straight dramatic role in 'Made For Each Other', playing wife to James Stewart's struggling 'everyman' husband.

John Mason, a promising young lawyer(James Stewart)meets Jane(Carole Lombard)and they marry impulsively after knowing each other for only one day. Unfortunately, married life isn't peachy keen as promised, with the struggling couple having to postpone their honeymoon for John's work, put up with John's interfering mother (who lives with them) and a chronic lack of money.

Lombard is a revelation (for me at least, I've only seen her in comedy before this)in a straight dramatic role. There are no zany antics from her as seen in the likes of 'Nothing Sacred' or 'My Man Godfrey'; here she excels at playing melodrama. Carole's beauty is particularly luminous in this one, and she has the opportunity to show her talent for conveying complex emotions when the script calls for her to despair over her dying baby.

James Stewart takes on a familiar role as the 'insignificant' John (note the use of simplistic first names to highlight the supposed 'ordinariness' of the narrative). Stewart's 'aw shucks' demeanor and reliability serve the film well. It is possible to suspend belief and imagine Lombard and Stewart as a real-life married couple, as their portrayals are so well-executed.

Lucile Watson (best known for 'Waterloo Bridge') gives a good supporting performance as John's elderly interfering mother, as does Charles Coburn as Judge Doolittle. The thing that ultimately lets this film down is the pacing of the narrative and the overall plot. It's not an overly long film, but some scenes do seem to drag tremendously. 'Made For Each Other' has a tendency to be too sweet and simplistic in it's resolve, and it's a readily familiar story, nothing new here. Lombard and Stewart breathe life into what would have been just a B-grade vehicle.

A lovely thing about this film is the opportunity to watch Carole playing a mother. Lombard was desperate to have a child with husband Clark Gable, and her warmth and caring manner shine through in the scenes with her child. They are tinged with sadness though, as we Lombard fans are all too aware of the fact that Carole was to die tragically in a plane crash only a few years later, she never got the chance to live out her dream in real-life.

7/10.

Well, I really enjoyed it!

[Incalculacable · 7/10 · 19 June 2006]

I can't understand the harsh reviews that this film has received from other IMDb users! I really enjoyed this film, despite the disappointing ending. I don't know if this is because I am a very big fan of both James Stewart and Carole Lombard, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. I especially recommend it to you if you enjoyed 'Penny Serenade (1941)' with Irene Dunn and Cary Grant as they are very similar in plot.

Without the charm and ability Lombard and Stewart, I believe Made for Each Other could have been extremely ill-fated and boring. However, they manage to bring life, charm and make their characters very genuine. Made for Each Other is about a couple (played extremely well by Carole Lombard and James Stewart as always) who meet, fall in love and get married quickly, seem simply made for each other... but when certain problems arise - disapproving in-laws, job stress, financial challenges and illness, their love really takes the test.

It is only the ending that lets the film down. Not only is it bizarre but it is extremely unrealistic too. I can understand why it was written - to give an added sense of drama for the finale, to keep the reader glued to the screen, but it seemed very unnecessary.

Other than that, I found it an absolute pleasure watching Carole Lombard and James Stewart fit so perfectly into a melodrama which many of us can relate to. Perhaps it is for 'die-hard fans' only, but I do recommend it to those who are not familiar with their work. I found it very interesting, charming and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny - a great balance of comedy and drama. I can't understand the dismal reviews for this film - I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Wonderful melodrama.

All in all, a pretty entertaining film

[Keely_morris1 · 7/10 · 14 August 2008]

Made for Each Other is a very entertaining film if one does not expect too much. As other reviewers have noted, perhaps it is only for die-hard fans of James Stewart and Carole Lombard, and as I am a huge fan of both, perhaps that is why I enjoyed it.

The plot surrounds John and Jane Mason who get married only after knowing each other for a short time. Their relationship grows cumbersome when John's disapproving mother moves into the household as well as a new baby. To add to their stresses is John's job, which leaves the Masons in poor financial straits. In a melodramatic, rather ridiculous ending, the baby is hopelessly ill and without the help of some serum, is not expected to live. In true Hollywood fashion, the serum is delivered and John and Jane are happy again.

Made for Each Other was produced by David O. Selznick and one wonders, with his meticulous nature of scrutinizing his productions, if he was too busy prodding the crew on Gone With the Wind to take notice on anything that was going on the set for this film. However, IMDb trivia states that Selznick included the cheeky ending as an homage to his brother who apparently had the same situation as baby. Nevertheless, without the ending, this film is charming. James Stewart and Carole Lombard play their parts to perfection. Lombard, especially, demonstrates her versatility in this film. However, one wonders if Stewart and Lombard knew how hopeless and unrealistic this ending was when they were filming it. It's hard to believe that they didn't, but perhaps they thought that they would be able to carry it through. Unfortunately, even with the presence of two luminescent stars, this ending falls short. Had Selznick and his writers left the ending to John and Jane solving their marital troubles in the same accord as the rest of the film, Made for Each Other would have been far better.

Nonetheless, for any fan of Lombard or Stewart, this is a film definitely worth seeing. It showcases both in their prime and if you disregard the slaughterhouse of an ending, is thoroughly enjoyable.

Awkward as a whole, shining in parts

[MerryArtist · 5/10 · 27 July 2008]

As a whole, this movie doesn't work at all. Different parts of the story jump around here and there and fail to form a cohesive piece -- the result of a poorly written script. For instance, halfway into the movie and you still get no idea of where it is all going. You get a vague sense that Johnny's (Jimmy Stewart) inability to support his family and the consequent strain on his relationship with his wife is part of the main plot, only to be completely thrown off by a new development in the story, which doesn't fit into the first portion of the film at all. It's almost like watching two different stories at the same time.

Despite this serious flaw, the film is "saved," so to speak, by its superb cast. Both Charles Coburn and Lucille Watson give their typical character portrayals. Jimmy Stewart gives his usual touching performance that is so well-known to film-goers. Meanwhile, Carole Lombard tries a hand at a dramatic role -- and succeeds. As a wife, she is charmingly believable, and as a mother, simply shines. Thus the unfortunate film is held together -- albeit weakly -- by the performance of the cast. Otherwise there isn't much that would convince one to keep watching. However, it may be worth your time if your main object is to enjoy the performance of either Jimmy Stewart or Carole Lombard, or both.

Making it past the first hundred years....

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 27 December 2011]

Movies about marriage are a mixed bag. What works and doesn't depends on the writing. Are the characters real? Do the problems and resolutions make sense? In the case of "Made For Each Other", the answer to these questions is yes. The couple is James Stewart and Carole Lombard, and their problems are simple. Stewart's nagging mother (Lucille Watson), his irascible boss (Charles Coburn), issues meeting their budget, and dealing with the issues of a new child are among them. The situations are simple and solvable, so the film isn't really saying anything remarkable, but viewers then and now can identity with the problems, even if they do seem a bit simple in today's complex world.

One amusing issue they face is keeping good help. Their first cook (Esther Dale) can't stand the interfering Watson ("I'm Only Human!", she repeats and repeats, after which she demands her salary while a dinner party is still going on), while the second makes it clear she is only the cook, and won't wash diapers. (Lombard promptly fires her.) The third is a gem, and she's a gentle black woman, played with great dignity and love by the always delightful Louise Beavers. Stewart and Lombard are a likable young couple, and while they may not seem an ideal romantic team, it works because Lombard is playing against type. Watson starts off as the passive-aggressive mother-in-law who interferes at every turn, but once you see her own loneliness, she is more understandable. She reminded me of Doris Roberts' Marie Barone on the long-running sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond". Coburn, one of the biggest scene stealers in movies, is excellent, and infuses his sometime aggravating character with many levels of humanity, especially when things get really rough for the couple when their baby gets sick. The conclusion is heart-wrenching and will have you glued to your seat.

A few good moments, but overall the story is a confused mess.

[danmccoy · 3/10 · 1 July 2008]

This film doesn't have a very clear picture of what it is or wants to be. There are some good bits when Stewart is on screen and they give him some lines to work with. It works best early on as romantic comedy, but the story keeps heading for more dramatic territory and gets itself lost in the process. By the last fifteen minutes or so, the plot twists are just a series dramatic clichés.

The part with the airplane feels like some leftover footage from another film spliced in.

The main reason I can think of to watch it is if you want be able to say you've seen all of Jimmy Stewart's films.

The Precursor to "It's a Wonderful Life"

[allen-maccannell · 10/10 · 19 July 2013]

After reading IMDb about various movies for years, this is the one film that caused me to sign up as a member in order to leave a review.

That should say a lot.

This is a fantastic movie with great acting and it clearly prefigured "It's a Wonderful Life."

It's an honest tearjerker. Those prone to cry will do so. For some I could see it producing Niagara Falls. The acting is that good. And a movie is made only once every few years that can make my eyes water.

I'd advise you not to pay much attention to the negative reviews, including from those who would now find the plot to be derivative when future movies were the ones that were derived from this.

Sure, it starts slow (and Jimmy Stewart was more of a novice). It's supposed to be showing the every day life of a struggling couple during hard times.

That only adds to the emotional impact of the last half hour.

The producer put a part of his own life story into this picture.

It's really sad to know that Carole Lombard died soon after this movie was made in a plane crash over the mountains.

This movie is a must-see.

Strong acting set against deep imbalances

[I_Ailurophile · 6/10 · 21 April 2022]

'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.

Bargain basement movie

[Jacquline · 4/10 · 9 October 2004]

When I bought 4 DVDs for £5.oo in a local shop it should have been warning enough that this movie was not up to the usual standard of David Selznick Productions. With a cast containing such names as James Stewart and Carole Lombard I was looking forward to a real treat. As many other commentators have said it is an odd mixture of plot and scenes that doesn't quite convince. HOWEVER, I am so glad that I did view this film as I now have the memorable saying 'Never let the seeds stop you from enjoying the watermelon.' to live by. This should sum up everyone's life. Pick out those seeds or spit them out or swallow them - and then enjoy the watermelon - life itself.

strange story structure

[rsyung · 15 January 2003]

I have to agree with other reviews as to the strange mix of genres and bizarre lack of conventional story structure. Normally, in the traditional three-act structure, the basic dilemma is set up in the first act, but in this film, the story just sort of segues gradually into the marriage and then one personal crisis after another, culminating in the illness of the child. In spite of all its shortcomings, Lombard's warmth and vulnerability shine through. I thought Stewart's gradual descent into desperation and self-recrimination strangely prefigured George Bailey in 'It's A Wonderful Life.'

With a much better screenplay and plot, this big cast drama might have been a hit

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 28 April 2022]

"Made for Each Other" is a drama about newlyweds roughing it out with some tough times. Even with stars James Stewart and Carole Lombard and a top supporting cast, this one bombed at the box office. It was a risk that David Selznick took that didn't work. Making serious family and love films about people having serious problems wasn't a wise thing to do during the Great Depression. Even though the country was pulling out of it with help from some of the New Deal programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the world economy was still shaky and threats of war in Europe bode of more tough times ahead.

Perhaps a better screenplay and/or some changes in the story would have helped this film. It had the cast, but the characters, roles and script just didn't seem to settle right with the audiences of the day. And, one can say the same thing viewing it decades later and well into the 21st century. This wouldn't be considered a plus in either repertoire of Lombard or Stewart.

Louise Beavers stands out in her fine supporting role as the Mason's cook, Lily. Her couple of wise remarks about life are little touches of humor and warmth.

Classic but dated melodrama with an exceptional couple , James Stewart and Carole Lombard

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 13 May 2014]

Interesting and thought-provoking drama with some touches of humor about newlyweds , their problems , distresses , overdue and poverty . This weeper movie turns out to be a simplistic tale , however provides an enjoyable time . Nostalgic and sensitive picture with brooding drama , adequate cinematography and evocative musical score . Well thought movie in which the couple's big dreams give way to a life full of unexpected sadness and unexpected joy . The picture begins with the followings lines : Greater New York has a population of 7.434.346 , among the least important of whom is John Mason (James Stewart) and Jane (Carole Lombard) . They fall in love and marry ; when John and Jane try to go on their honeymoon in Europe aboard the liner SS Normadie , their journey is suddenly interrupted . Then they must overcome meddlesome in-laws (Lucile Watson) , proud chiefs (Charles Coburn) , poorness and even the arrival a baby . Things become so serious , they decide to separate but their child's illness brings together for a second chance .

Sensitive film which deals with interesting issues such as family life , couple relationship , meddling mother-in-law , birth a son , and many other things . The story is plain and simple , nonetheless results to be a moving experience . It is a tearjerker about an agreeable couple who looks rather stiff and maudlin nowadays . This over-expended weepie flick relies heavily on the relationship between James Stewart and Carole Lombard but this does not get bored or spoils the tale . Slightly overrated but excellent all the same time , the picture is enjoyable and entertaining , including a stirring ending . Great producer David O. Selznick's experience of trying to have life-saving serum flown in for his critically ill brother was the basis for the flying sequences final the movie . The story is narrated with great sense and sensibility , the intelligent screenplay was written by Jo Swerling suggested by a story by Rose Franken . Sensational protagonist duo , James Stewart is extraordinary , as usual , and Carole Lombard is magnificent . They don't make'em like this anymore and no one plays Stewart better than Stewart . Only these big stars like Stewart and Lombard could play material like this . Support cast is frankly excellent such as Charles Coburn as Judge Doolittle , Lucile Watson as Mrs. Harriet Mason , Eddie Quillan as Conway , Harry Davenport as Dr. Healy , and uncredited War Bond as Hatton , among others.

Atmospheric cinematography in black and White by Leon Shamroy , subsequently a famed cameraman of super-productions , though also available colorized . The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely and usually badly edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second or third-generation or more copies of the film . Pleasant as well as adequate musical score by Oscar Levant , though uncredited . This stunning and appealing flick filmed in great sensibility was compellingly directed by John Cromwell , considered to be one of the best American directors . Cromwell was a veteran filmmaker who directed all kind of genres through a long career from the 20s and 30s to the 60s such as Adventure genre : ¨Son of fury¨, ¨Prisoner of Zenda¨ , ¨Tom Sawyer ¨ , ¨Ana and the King of Siam¨ ; Thriller and Noir cinema : ¨The Scavengers¨ , ¨The racket¨, ¨Dead reckoning¨, ¨Algiers¨, ¨Vice squad¨ and especially drama as ¨The Goddess¨, ¨Spitfire¨ , ¨Ann Vickers¨ , ¨Dance of life¨, ¨Of human bondage¨ , the notorious ¨Abe Lincoln in Illinois¨ and this ¨Made for each other¨.

The Three Rings...

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 26 November 2007]

The old saying goes that there are three rings in marriage: the engagement ring, the wedding ring and suffering. Well, if there's only one thing that the 1939 slice-of-life drama "Made For Each Other" shows, it's that the problems faced by young married couples haven't changed much in the last 70 years. In this tender little film, NY lawyer Jimmy Stewart meets Carole Lombard on the Boston Common. It turns out that they have the mutual irresistibles for each other and get spliced a mere few days later. And then the fun begins, as the newlyweds begin to deal with money problems, mother-in-law issues, job nuisances, a cramped apartment, AND the arrival of the inevitable bundle of joy. In today's culture, this couple would soon be considering a divorce, but Jimmy and Carole bravely slog through, despite some occasional misgivings.... "Made For Each Other" is as sweet and warm a domestic soaper as can be, and the two leads really do float the picture with their boundless charm and charisma. Lombard, 30 here, looks absolutely beautiful (often in stunning close-up), and her character is just so nice and understanding. The picture alternates scenes of gentle humor with scenes of bittersweet warmth, and the character actors here--Lucile Watson, Louise Beavers, Charles Coburn, Ward Bond--are all given moments to shine. The film culminates with a good deal of suspense, too, as a valiant flier braves a storm to deliver serum to Jimmy and Carol's dying son. All in all, then, this is yet another class production from David Selznick, coming out soon before that same year's "GWTW." It should be required viewing for all couples about to take the big plunge.

Almost stale, save Stewart

[aqua_swing · 6/10 · 30 May 2005]

A delightful little comedy that doesn't weigh in too much when Stewart and Lombard are not on the screen, which is on par for many of Stewart's light comedy movies that are black and white. It seems that when he was just getting his gears shifting and people were starting to notice him, that he couldn't find the right script. This movie's no different. It had the ideals of being better than it really was, and nothing to prove by the end to make you feel like you were really experiencing something out of the ordinary, which pushes the viewer partially away from the film. It's the kind of movie you don't really invest in seeing a second time, because you've seen it all before. Unfortunately, movies that are hitting middle ground like this are still being made.

Stewart or Lombard, Not Made For Each Other

[jcholguin · 4/10 · 3 October 2004]

James Stewart plays Johnny Mason, lawyer. Carole Lombard is Jane Mason, wife. Lucile Watson the mother-in-law Harriet Mason. Johnny sees Jane and quickly marries her. Mother is disappointed. Mother lives with them. Many troubles are ahead. Jane can't cook. Can't set the table. Can't do many things according to mother. The interaction between daughter-in-law and mother are the highlights of this film. Stewart and Lombard are married but just don't have any real magic on screen. Stewart is Stewart. He is good as a timid husband and son but this doesn't carry the film. Can baby Mason build bridges between Jane and Harriet? A believable film for those that are married.

This movie and I are definitely not made for each other.

[ironhorse_iv · 6/10 · 5 December 2014]

This film produced by David O. Selznick and directed by John Cromwell doesn't have a very clear picture of what it is or what it wants to be. This movie was market as a romantic comedy, but it plays out more as a depressing melodrama movie about a newly-wedded, middle class couple, Jane (Carol Lombard) & John Mason (Jimmy Stewart). The couple are trying to survive the setbacks of life during the Great Depression. The acting is alright for the most part. Jimmy Stewart is just plain good ole' boy whom too weak to can't stand up for the boss. His weakness is a bit annoying; seeing how he can't even, have the courage to stand up against his hard of hearing, boss, Judge Joseph M. Doolittle (Charles Coburn) when it matters most. Jimmy Stewart's performance isn't anything new. Carol Lombard, known for her comedy roles, is just a supporting character with little to do, in the film. She spent most of the film, fighting with her mother in law (Lucile Watson) or her staff, then the other half, moping around. It's disappointment. Stewart and Lombard are married, but they just don't have any real magic on screen. The entertaining value of this film is very low, since the movie had very little humor. Lots of dialogue scenes with little to no charm. I was hoping for more, cleaver writing. I did like the 'going to bed' with shoes on, joke. The story is mostly a miss in melodrama value. This movie is no, 'The Grapes of Wrath'! It's really tries hard to show how the Great Depression is hurting them, but the middle class couple doesn't really don't have much set-backs. Losing maids and cooks, running out wine, dealing with snobby in-laws, and having a pay-cut, don't match up with the scale of losing a job, losing a home, starving, and being mistreated like hell like those of John Steinbeck's novel. Carol Lombard complains about not having a fur coat or going on a cruise ship. These are not really intense moments. The story kinda get lost, toward the end. It's become less about the couple, and more like a movie about a pilot trying to get a flu serum to New York City during a winter storm. It's almost felt like I was watching, a movie like 1995's Balto. According to an article in Life, the serum flying sequence in this film was based on an actual incident in which producer David O. Selznick attempted to have serum flown from New York for his critically ill brother Myron, who had pneumonia. Anyways, it felt like I was watching two different movies. Still, it was nice to see a cameo from Ward Bonds. The dying baby really comes out of nowhere. Yes, the movie does foreshadow a bit of it, when the mother tells the parents about how John Mason once got really sick as a child, but it really does seem forced as hell. For a family that living with setbacks, they were pretty well-off. They wasn't much to think the baby was sick. The whole dying baby is such a stupid Deus ex machina. The ending is kinda a cop out. Just remember, a dying baby will solve all your problems. The movie is so clichés, even for the time. There is the Magic black woman that comes out of nowhere to give heart and folksy wisdom to the main characters, and then disappears for the rest of the film. 'Never let the seeds stop you from enjoying the watermelon." While, Louise Beaver's advice about watermelons was pretty clever, it kinda racism. What's next, she will use fried chicken as a metaphor for divorce. The movie even mention characters that look like they might not big parts in this film, but never does show up like Eunice Dolittle. Just think, how much more conflict, the couple could had, if they honestly put her in the film. One thing, that could had made the film, maybe a little better was some music. Oscar Levant, in his autobiographical writings, states that he gave Selznick some musical material for this film, but he turn it down. The music, they did use were a bit overdone even for the 1930s such as 'Rock-a-baby" nursery rhythm to show that the baby was born. The movie isn't hard to find. The movie is in the public domain, when MGM didn't renew its copyrights. This means that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely or badly edited. Some of them might be in extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation of copies of the film. If you want to find it. Try to find the MGM's DVD on it. Its picture is well balance and smooth, and sound is alright for the most part. Overall: Despite a talented couple of stars and a few nice moments, I have to admit that the thing I felt most of the time, while watching this movie was simple boredom. This soap opera movie is very dull. If you want to watch it, go ahead, I won't stop you. Just note, it's no "It's a Wonderful Life".

promising pairing

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 14 May 2018]

NY lawyer John Mason (James Stewart) is newly married to Jane (Carole Lombard) despite the disapproval of his mother. They are supposed to take a honeymoon cruise to Europe but his nearly-deaf boss Judge Doolittle implies taking a big case away from him. Doolittle promotes co-worker Carter as partner over him. The couple has a boy and they struggle to make ends meet.

The pairing of Stewart and Lombard is very promising. In the end, this lacks a structure for the drama. It's more like a run-on sentence of a family drama. It also doesn't help to be missing the courtship. It needs a meet-cute and a good relationship progression. It feels like a laundry list of melodramas rather than a good flowing plot. Their difficult marriage leaves any chemistry with the leads in a precarious position. At its core, I find it hard to feel the love sometimes. Their individual screen presence is undeniable but this movie fails to capitalize on them.

An underrated gem which exalts Lombard's talents.

[godsnewworldiscoming-1 · 10/10 · 3 November 2006]

While other users will disagree with the accolades I give this movie, I was throughly impressed with Carole Lombard. While her legacy is her indisputable talent as a screen comedian, she was very touching and cogent in this serious role. What I like about the golden age of Hollywood was how they could take such simple plots and parlay them into unforgettable classics.

What newlywed couple today couldn't relate to the problems Stewart and Lombard contended with in this movie? Their tenacity and devotion to one another under duress was very simple and poignant. I have a funny feeling if I ever get married, I would want my future wife to watch this movie with me!

Stewart's role in this movie is not as heralded as his characters in Mr. Smith goes to Washington or in Its a wonderful life. That is certainly understandable. However, I will watch any movie which pairs up Hollywood legends. Any movie featuring James Stewart and Carole Lombard definitely warrants a look. If this movie came out any year other than 1939, it would be highly esteemed.

Three Maids and a Baby

[wes-connors · 7/10 · 26 September 2010]

Manhattan lawyer James Stewart (as John "Johnny" Mason) falls in love at first sight with beautiful Carole Lombard (as Jane), while obtaining a Boston deposition. The happy newlyweds return to New York, but receive a frosty reception from Mr. Stewart's hard-of-hearing boss Charles Coburn (as Joseph M. Doolittle) and his mother Lucile Watson (as Harriet). They had hoped Stewart would marry the boss' daughter, and live in reflective prosperity. While obviously "Made for Each Other", Stewart and Ms. Lombard have trouble making ends meet, especially after baby makes three.

The struggling couple must also contend with complaining mother Watson, who moves in, and a series of ineffectual servants. With Lombard and Watson around the house, you have to accept that the "hired help" is around to impress Mr. Coburn and other dinner guests. Esther Dale (as Annie) and Renee Orsell (as Hilda) are funny maids. Louise Beavers (as Lily) offers some helpful advice about eating watermelon; and, she delivers fried chicken on holidays. Eventually, the frothy comedy turns to heavy melodrama. As usual, the David O. Selznick production values are excellent.

******* Made for Each Other (2/10/39) John Cromwell ~ James Stewart, Carole Lombard, Charles Coburn, Lucile Watson

A young American couple's story - in three poorly sawed together parts

[hudecha · 5/10 · 19 November 2020]

This is really three stories in one about the same couple - and none of them would be really worth seeing if not enacted by Stewart and Lombard.

The first part is by far the best. It is a light-hearted comedy, in the screwball style, about a generally not self-assured young lawyer who for once has taken an impulsive decision, marrying a girl on a chance meeting as a result of love at first sight, putting himself at odds with the two persons he is in awe of and mostly dominated by - his deaf Scrooge of a boss, and his possessive mother. This is quite funny, especially the scene of breaking the news to the mother/mother-in-law.

Then things become fairly humdrum and boring with the second part. The lawyer does not get the promotion he deserved and expected, the young couple has a baby, and they start facing money problems. Baby scenes are a string of moderately amusing cliches, which are absolutely useless to the story. Money problems are trivial, and it takes James Stewart awkwardness to provide some fun when he tries to get a raise from his literally but potentially intentionally deaf boss - Charles Coburn not in one of his most memorable compositions. All of this part of the film spills the beans about what its problem really is - basically it has very little to tell, therefore it fills the void with everything which passes at hand.

And everything in the third part becomes an old plot trick of screenwriters with a shortage of inspiration - a severe, potentially fatal illness of one of the characters, in that case the baby in order to create drama where really there should have been none. Brutally the film turns to crude melodrama and the artificial suspense, extensively dilated, of a serum to be brought by an heroic pilot. Well, well - not telling whether the baby is saved, the film is most certainly not.

Carole Lombard and James Stewart are the only good reason, if any, to watch this mishmash. Stewart is mostly his usual funny and touching self, playing a well-meaning but not always well-inspired character who tries, through necessity, to become the hard-edged breadwinner whom he is not naturally. Lombard's role on the contrary evolves farther and farther away from her usual parts while the film shifts from one storyline to the other. Fresh-faced and fresh-tongued as the bride from nowhere, she adjusts less well, like her character, to the boring life of a housewife with domestic problems - hard to blame her not to put her heart fully in it when viewers are quite bored themselves. Then and finally, melodrama - not an usual or natural genre for her, but she more than deftly adjusts. Moreover, some shots of her face in grief and anxiety, unusually strained but as beautiful as always if not more, "Garbo shots", deepen our regrets of her tragically shortened life and career. Sooner or later it would probably have been discovered that beyond her innate talent for comedy, she could play with equal ease and natural much more dramatic roles. Alas, occasions including this botched one have been very limited.