Weekend for Three

How funny you find the film may depend on how funny you think the Energizer Bunny is on steroids. Actor Reed's obnoxious Randy is supposed to be over-the-top, and he certainly is since he never stops moving or shouting. The trick here is being obnoxious without being so dislikable as to off-put audiences. No wonder Jim (O'Keefe) wants loudmouth Randy out of his and wife Ellen's house after he has come to visit. But like "the man who came to dinner", the oblivious guest always finds a new excuse to stay. Plus, he's joining Ellen in the energetic night- clubbing she misses from her businessman husband. So what's Jim to do since he seems too gentlemanly to insist that Randy use the door, permanently.

O'Keefe is one of the sorely neglected performers of that period. Adept at both comedy and drama, he's perfect here as the flustered husband. And catch a young Jane Wyatt in some glamorous get-up's; but why did I keep expecting Bud, Kathy and Betty to show up. After all, Jane's anything but a dowdy mother here. And I agree with other reviewers that skilled comics Pangborn and Conreid are unfortunately under-used.

All in all, it's a fast moving hour, penned by the notable New York wits, Parker and Campbell. I suspect the movie's not better known because of its short runtime, absence of top tier stars, and Reed's off-putting character. Nonetheless, Weekend is still a fairly funny little farce.

Given the writers of this film you would expect a witty and literate farce.Unfortunately what we get is exactly the opposite.This film seems to have been made on the assumption that the louder and quicker the actors speak the funnier they are.This film was so poor that it sent me off to sleep.The only watchable aspect of this film was the supporting cast.Funny how Franklin Pangbourne is only on screen for a few minutes but he is my only abiding memory of this film.Edward Everett Horton and Zasu Pitts are exempt from any criticism but even they are not able to make this film watchable.Maybe the fact that this film is only 65 minutes long is a clue as to why the main characters perform in such a hyped up manner.

When Jim Craig (Dennis O'Keefe) comes home from work, he finds an incredibly obnoxious jerk in his house. This guy, named Randy, is loud, brash, never listens and treats the home like it's his! Before Jim tosses him out on his ear, he talks to his wife to ask her who this jerk is. Well, apparently Ellen (Jane Wyatt) knew him many years before and Jim met him a while back and liked him...but it was because Jim was drunk. Sober, Randy is insufferable. Inexplicably, Ellen won't let Jim toss Randy and his weekend visit keeps getting longer and longer...as if he'll never leave.

The problem with this film is that Randy is too awful and obnoxious to be realistic. Additionally, if anyone is this hellishly awful, even Mother Teresa would soon end up pummeling him!! He's THAT bad. So, while the film could have been funny, I kept asking myself if ANYONE would put up with this jerk...and that made the film a lot less funny than the filmmakers intended. It still has its moments and has Edward Everett Horton (he improves any film) but it's not a film I particularly enjoyed and a little subtlety would have helped tremendously. As it is, the film just grates on you after a while...and who wants to see a movie to be miserable?!

Phillip Reed comes to visit married couple Dennis O'Keefe and Jane Wyatt. He's fun-loving, energetic, and just the tonic their marriage seems to need. Then he won't go away.

With THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER a hit on Broadway, this is an interesting gloss on the idea. Reed is just as obnoxious as Sheridan Whiteside, but it's a matter of cluelessness rather than a joy in tearing other people to shreds. And although the constant barrage of nightclubbing and spaghetti suppers at 2 AM begins to pall on the audience after a while, there's always a sparkling supporting cast to pull things back together; Zasu Pitts, Edward Everett Horton, and Franklin Pangborn can always cheer me up. Tie it all together with a third-act crisis and a funny exit, and you have a pretty good comedy.

Dennis O'Keefe was surely the best farceur of the early 40's. The classics he made for Edward Small are delightful bedroom antics. This one, WEEKEND FOR THREE, actually predates the Small pictures and is perhaps Dennis' first great farce. It's a simple setup, with the scenario played out by a wonderful crew of comedy experts. O'Keefe, Phil Reed, Edward Everett Horton, Franklin Pangborn, Zasu Pitts and Marion Martin all shine doing their stuff. Lovely Jane Wyatt is perky and quick-witted. Roy Webb's score is a delightful departure from his usual brooding works - a very Steineresque comedy score with lots of stings. If this one comes around, sit back and have fun. Everyone on screen is having a ball!