Just the fact that Cluny Brown was Ernst Lubtisch's final film before his unfortunate demise at just 55 makes it worth checking out. It's an amusing satire on the upper crust in England, and Jennifer Jones as a plumber turned maid is charming in the title role. The rest of the cast are reasonably good as well, with Helen Walker (as the rich girl) getting in a few moments of her own, and the delightful Sara Allgood and Ernest Cossart (as the head housekeeper and butler) nearly stealing the show.
It's not a film I could truly love however, as there wasn't a lot of spice to the banter between characters, and the humor was too muted for my taste. It felt uneven in several ways, with the Nazi references feeling clunky and too easy, and the simple story dragging at times. Most of all, I just didn't feel the chemistry between Jennifer Jones and Charles Boyer, making the love that snuck up on them (but not the viewer) not one that swept me along with it.
It's not a film I could truly love however, as there wasn't a lot of spice to the banter between characters, and the humor was too muted for my taste. It felt uneven in several ways, with the Nazi references feeling clunky and too easy, and the simple story dragging at times. Most of all, I just didn't feel the chemistry between Jennifer Jones and Charles Boyer, making the love that snuck up on them (but not the viewer) not one that swept me along with it.