As fine as any given actor or filmmaker may be, not all their features are guaranteed to be equal. Take Carole Lombard, for example; at their best her films are brilliant classics, while others range from a plain "good" to a sad "disappointing" or worse. 'Man of the world' is enjoyable - written well, and directed, with suitable acting and solid craftsmanship. It also leaves very little impression: at one point I found myself growing tired, and as I slowly drifted to sleep and my mind went foggy in the moment, I couldn't tell the difference between the value of the movie when it was still playing and its value after I had reflexively paused it. It's entertaining in the passive way that any fundamental combination of light and sound can be. Is that enough?
The story is fine material for cinematic telling. It's so fine, in fact, that in its broad strokes we've seen this tale play out many other times. Characters range from naïve to gullible, from sympathetic to mean; the dialogue serves the plot. The costume design, hair and makeup, production design, and art direction are swell. A motion picture has been successively made; it began, it ended, and we have spent 72 minutes of our time thusly (or more, if we paused). What else is there to know?
I'm glad for those who get more out of 'Man of the world' than I did. I neither like nor dislike it; there's nothing whatsoever about this that's special or demands one's viewership. If you're looking for something light and frivolous to watch, this will surely fit the bill. If you want anything more out of a viewing experience, keep looking.
The story is fine material for cinematic telling. It's so fine, in fact, that in its broad strokes we've seen this tale play out many other times. Characters range from naïve to gullible, from sympathetic to mean; the dialogue serves the plot. The costume design, hair and makeup, production design, and art direction are swell. A motion picture has been successively made; it began, it ended, and we have spent 72 minutes of our time thusly (or more, if we paused). What else is there to know?
I'm glad for those who get more out of 'Man of the world' than I did. I neither like nor dislike it; there's nothing whatsoever about this that's special or demands one's viewership. If you're looking for something light and frivolous to watch, this will surely fit the bill. If you want anything more out of a viewing experience, keep looking.