The first forty-five minutes or so of this movie was a sitcom devoid of the desperately needed laugh track. It portended to be funny by the upbeat fast talking and occasional laughter by the characters, but it was humor that missed me. In the back half we finally had some drama, however bland.
Johnny Case (Robert Ames) met Julia Seton (Mary Astor) while vacationing in Lake Placid and the two quickly fell in love. In ten days time they were engaged. All of that happened before we see the happy couple on screen for the first time. When we first see them Johnny was being given the grand tour of Julia's gargantuan home. Johnny didn't know Julia was rich and this was the first time he was apprised of that.
The biggest drama at that point was Julia and her sister, Linda (Ann Harding), trying to devise a way to break it to their father, Edward Seton (William Holden), that Julia was marrying a commoner. I say "drama" in the most general sense because it wasn't that big of a deal.
As the movie proceeded and got past its faux comedic stage we found that Linda (the younger sister) was angry at her father for being too possessive. It seemed almost as if she resented the money and life they had. Whereas that may have been true it came off as princess tears. I'm sure you're familiar with the princess who wants nothing more than to be a commoner because they "live life." Yeah, those movies always annoy me because it's a big middle finger to pretty much the rest of the known world whose struggles are largely due to a lack of wealth.
The drama ticked up a bit when Linda expressed that she loved Johnny (that would be Julia's man Johnny). She didn't express it to him, and she wasn't going to interfere with his and Julia's relationship, but it only made her more miserable. Not only was she captive in a soulless mansion, she loved her sister's man.
What did wear on Julia and Johnny's relationship was 1.) Johnny's decided lack of care for "too much money" and 2.) Edward Seton (the father) being an overbearing presence..
Johnny wanted to make about $20,000 and then ride it out as long as he could. He wanted to travel and have fun while he was young and then work when he was older. This is a bass ackwards retirement plan that seemed poorly thought out, but it was his plan that he wouldn't budge on. Naturally, that rubbed his future FIL raw, and irked Julia a bit as well. Money may not have been paramount to Julia, but she sure wasn't about to give it up.
Edward almost assured his daughter's relationship would be ruined by hovering and insisting on having a say on everything. He was one of those types who believe they have a controlling interest in anyone's life so long as he's paying. Julia went along with that arrangement fairly easily while her sister Linda fought it.
Eventually the strain would be too much for Johnny. He couldn't bear being under the thumb of Julia's father so he decided to make a clean break and sail for France. However hurt Julia was, she let him go without much of a fight.
Then comes our romance.
Linda, after making sure that Julia no longer loved Johnny, grabbed her things and chased after the commoner who wanted to live carefree. It was a scene that we'd see in "Sabrina" some years later with Humphrey Bogart chasing after Audrey Hepburn, except far less enchanting. Linda looked in her sister's eyes and saw that she didn't love Johnny anymore which gave her the pass she needed to pursue him. It was all so whimsical, flighty, and ham-fisted--the whole idea that people can fall in and out of love that quickly. The guy JUST left. All Linda did was look into Julia's eyes. I don't know what she saw, but it must've been a clear sign.
And Ann Harding's acting. Oh my goodness. Make it stop.
The whole movie Ann spoke as if she was going to break out into song. Every action was exaggerated and every word was spoken with gusto, zest, and a bit of a quiver in her voice like an opera singer. It was so unnatural it was annoying. But then, so was every character.
Every character was a soap opera character that was more unlikeable than likable. The father due to his controlling behavior, Johnny for being flippant, Julia for accepting her father's ways, and Linda for seeking pity for her rich life--not to mention the other characters that were equally bothersome.
As you can tell, I didn't like the movie. The characters lacked depth and the acting was laughable. There is merit to the movie and I think there is a good movie in there somewhere it just requires the right writers and director to flesh it out.
Free on YouTube.
Johnny Case (Robert Ames) met Julia Seton (Mary Astor) while vacationing in Lake Placid and the two quickly fell in love. In ten days time they were engaged. All of that happened before we see the happy couple on screen for the first time. When we first see them Johnny was being given the grand tour of Julia's gargantuan home. Johnny didn't know Julia was rich and this was the first time he was apprised of that.
The biggest drama at that point was Julia and her sister, Linda (Ann Harding), trying to devise a way to break it to their father, Edward Seton (William Holden), that Julia was marrying a commoner. I say "drama" in the most general sense because it wasn't that big of a deal.
As the movie proceeded and got past its faux comedic stage we found that Linda (the younger sister) was angry at her father for being too possessive. It seemed almost as if she resented the money and life they had. Whereas that may have been true it came off as princess tears. I'm sure you're familiar with the princess who wants nothing more than to be a commoner because they "live life." Yeah, those movies always annoy me because it's a big middle finger to pretty much the rest of the known world whose struggles are largely due to a lack of wealth.
The drama ticked up a bit when Linda expressed that she loved Johnny (that would be Julia's man Johnny). She didn't express it to him, and she wasn't going to interfere with his and Julia's relationship, but it only made her more miserable. Not only was she captive in a soulless mansion, she loved her sister's man.
What did wear on Julia and Johnny's relationship was 1.) Johnny's decided lack of care for "too much money" and 2.) Edward Seton (the father) being an overbearing presence..
Johnny wanted to make about $20,000 and then ride it out as long as he could. He wanted to travel and have fun while he was young and then work when he was older. This is a bass ackwards retirement plan that seemed poorly thought out, but it was his plan that he wouldn't budge on. Naturally, that rubbed his future FIL raw, and irked Julia a bit as well. Money may not have been paramount to Julia, but she sure wasn't about to give it up.
Edward almost assured his daughter's relationship would be ruined by hovering and insisting on having a say on everything. He was one of those types who believe they have a controlling interest in anyone's life so long as he's paying. Julia went along with that arrangement fairly easily while her sister Linda fought it.
Eventually the strain would be too much for Johnny. He couldn't bear being under the thumb of Julia's father so he decided to make a clean break and sail for France. However hurt Julia was, she let him go without much of a fight.
Then comes our romance.
Linda, after making sure that Julia no longer loved Johnny, grabbed her things and chased after the commoner who wanted to live carefree. It was a scene that we'd see in "Sabrina" some years later with Humphrey Bogart chasing after Audrey Hepburn, except far less enchanting. Linda looked in her sister's eyes and saw that she didn't love Johnny anymore which gave her the pass she needed to pursue him. It was all so whimsical, flighty, and ham-fisted--the whole idea that people can fall in and out of love that quickly. The guy JUST left. All Linda did was look into Julia's eyes. I don't know what she saw, but it must've been a clear sign.
And Ann Harding's acting. Oh my goodness. Make it stop.
The whole movie Ann spoke as if she was going to break out into song. Every action was exaggerated and every word was spoken with gusto, zest, and a bit of a quiver in her voice like an opera singer. It was so unnatural it was annoying. But then, so was every character.
Every character was a soap opera character that was more unlikeable than likable. The father due to his controlling behavior, Johnny for being flippant, Julia for accepting her father's ways, and Linda for seeking pity for her rich life--not to mention the other characters that were equally bothersome.
As you can tell, I didn't like the movie. The characters lacked depth and the acting was laughable. There is merit to the movie and I think there is a good movie in there somewhere it just requires the right writers and director to flesh it out.
Free on YouTube.