Mr. & Mrs. Smith

It's unfair to look over this film because it is not a true Hitchcock film. It's still a great film, and a great screwball comedy. It is very funny and contains at least two of the funniest scenes I've ever seen, the one where Robert Montgomery plans to have premarital sex with Lombard, thinking she doesn't know that they aren't married, and the restaurant scene, where Montgomery pretends to talk to a really pretty girl who's sitting next to him. You can just barely see Hitchcock in this film - there are a few marvelous camera movements and angles that seem like Hitchcock was sighing, saying, "God, I'm bored!" The two leads, Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery, are wonderful. Everyone else, Gene Raymond as Jeff and Jack Carson as Chuck (he's especially hilarious; I wish he had had even more scenes!), and everyone else, too, is constantly hitting bullseyes.

Unfortunately, in the last 20 or 30 minutes of the film, it begins to fall apart, after the plot moves to Lake Placid. First off, it's begins to grow tiresome. Lombard is starting to come off as unnecessarily cruel. The faux drunken mumblings of Montgomery aren't as funny as they're supposed to be. Jeff's parents are getting in the way. At least the final scene makes up for some of that! 8/10.

When I put this movie on I was drowsy, and depressed. It did two things for me after I put it on. It kept me awake, thus entertaining me, and it put a smile on my face.

There are some genuine laughs in this movie, and the comedy is spread between all the characters. Robert Montgomery is extremely funny, with both excellent physical comedy, and great comedic timing with his dialogue. What surprised me most was the excellent comedic timing of Carole Lombard. She is extremely funny, but her chemistry with Montgomery in their scenes together is fantastic.

The direction, of course, is excellent. Not standard Hitchcock suspense, but classic Hitchcock comedy and romance, elements of his film making that a lot of people overlook.

Honestly, this is a fun movie. The humor is intelligent and never sinks to an infantile level. I had never heard of this movie until about two days ago, and I watched it and I was pleasantly surprised. 8 out of 10.

Even the talents of Lombard, Montgomery and Raymond can't really save this Hitchcock screwball comedy-curio. Some scenes are priceless - the scene in the Florida Bar where Robert Montgomery tries to make Carole Lombard jealous, and the scene where Carole Lombard gets Gene Raymond drunk are of the first rank - but more often than not the comedy falls flat. Whilst the plot of a comedy shouldn't have to bear too much scrutiny it should have its basis in truth, and unfortunately, here the characters fail to convince; in fact they become rather irritating and dislike-able. With Hitchcock directing and such a stunning ensemble of actors on show this has all the feel of a missed opportunity - its sum never fulfilling the promise of its parts. Shame. Though maybe worth watching just to see Lombard et al, strut their stuff.

"Mr. And Mrs. Smith" is a good comedy about a couple who learn that they haven't been legally married the past three years as they thought they were. The "un-marriage" is based on an absurd notion, but it sets the stage for what follows. And what follows is a comedy of errors and airs in which the groom pursues his bride all over again, while she plays hard to get.

Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard are the leads as David and Ann Smith. She reverts to her maiden name, Ann Krausheimer when they split up. This isn't one of Carole Lombard's funnier roles, but Montgomery is funny as he jumps through hoops to try to win his wife back. His law firm partner, Jeff Custer, also wants to woo Ann. Gene Raymond plays his part superbly as a real male wallflower. He's straight faced, overly considerate, and straightforward about a relationship with the one-time wife of his best friend and partner. It makes it that much funnier - and frustrating for David.

Some of the funniest scenes are with Jeff's parents. Lucille Watson plays Mrs. Custer, Jeff's mother. She was one of the consummate Hollywood supporting cast who played superbly the role of a shocked mother, or mother-in-law, or snobbish, Puritanical society dame. Philip Merivale is equally aghast as Jeff's father, Ashley Custer. An uproarious scene occurs when Jeff introduces them to Ann. Just as they think she is a sweet, young thing, David enters the office and talks about their coffee together over the morning breakfast table the past three years. The crunch comes when he asks about his laundry, and says he doesn't have any more clean shorts. A type of this scene replays toward the end of the film - with hilarious portrayals of the dumbfounded and astonished Custers.

It's a good thing that David and Jeff owned their own law firm. No one else would have been able to take so much time away from work as David did to pursue Ann. Some reviewers are surprised that this film was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Hitch was well established as a versatile director before he came to the U. S. just before the start of World War II. He became known for his mastery at mystery films. But he had done a number of comedies, romances and dramas before, and even did one successful musical drama.

This film came out at the end of January 1941. A year later Carole Lombard would be dead. She was killed in a plane crash in Nevada while returning home to California from a war bond drive. She was only 34 years old, but she is remembered today from some of the wonderful films she was in, especially her comedy roles. She was in 80 films in a 16-year career.

On the other hand, Robert Montgomery isn't as well known today. He played a variety of roles in more than 60 films, but ended his silver screen career at age 46 in 1950. He spent the rest of his career in television. His last acting was in 1950-51 in his long-running TV series, Robert Montgomery Presents. After that, he continued to produce that show until 1957 and did some more TV production until 1960. He continued to work in the theater in the 1950s and won the 1955 Tony Award as best director for "The Desperate Hours." In 1968, Montgomery wrote a book entitled "An Open Letter from a Television Viewer" in which he lambasted the TV industry for its programming of violence.

A favorite scene of mine in "Mr. And Mrs. Smith" has Jeff and Ann riding in a sleigh to the cottages they have booked at Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. Ann says, "I love the smell of snow." Jeff says, "No one can smell snow." And Ann responds, "I can." Jeff looks around as though he's sniffing, then looks down at the horses pulling the sleigh and says, "That isn't snow."

The Smiths have one exchange in which Lombard is able to speak the only witty lines in the film. Her Ann Smith says, "As long as we live we must never change that rule." David Smith, "That's right." Ann, "You know, if every married couple had it there would never be a divorce. They ought to put it in the marriage ceremony. You are not allowed to leave the bedroom after a quarrel unless you've made up."

According to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock, Carole Lombard prevailed upon Alfred Hitchcock to direct one her comedy films as a favor. Since Hitchcock admired her talent he did so.

It's important to remember that this is a Carole Lombard film and view it that way. Viewed as such it's not a bad marital comedy though if one is expecting certain Hitchcock touches they won't be there.

Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard are a constantly spatting married couple. They love each other, but to them arguing is like exercise. In a moment of oneupsmanship Montgomery answers in the affirmative to a question by Lombard as to whether he'd marry her if he had to do it all over again.

His words come back to haunt him when Charles Halton from Lombard's hometown in Idaho and says that because of a technicality they're not legally married. Montgomery spends the rest of the film trying to win Lombard back.

Some of the best movie comedies have been made on a premise flimsier than this one. Mr.&Mrs. Smith is not the best of comedies, but it is far from the worst.

I have a feeling that Alfred Hitchcock may have had Lombard in mind for future projects more of his own taste. I can see her easily in some of his later films. Lombard was only 32 when she died.

Pity we'll never know.