Incontro a Parigi

Actually have no bias against fluffy romantic comedies, and certainly not those from the 30s so that is not the reason as to why 'I Met Him in Paris' didn't quite work for me. There were plenty of screwball and romantic comedies from the 30s and there are a good deal that are good and more. Have liked Claudette Colbert and Melvyn Douglas in other things and on paper their roles here sounded perfect for them. Haven't seen enough of Wesley Ruggles' work, but what has been seen has been uneven.

'I Met Him in Paris' has its moments, it's well made, has entertaining and charming moments and the cast do really well with the material in roles that suit them well. Somehow though it doesn't quite come together, and would have been much better with much more spark and a far more believable story because 'I Met Him in Paris' tended to lack especially the latter. Again, not a bad film. Just not a great one, which was disappointing considering the potential. If anything, it actually left me conflicted.

Will start with what is done well. Really liked the glossy look of the production values, especially the stylish photography and Colbert's truly beautiful clothes. The settings are also suitably exotic The music has playfulness without trying too hard to be quirky and sumptuous ones without being sugary. Ruggles fares competently in the direction at times, especially in the charming snowy scenes.

The script has moments of barbed wit and some nice sophistication, and there are charming scenes such as Colbert and Douglas on ice. The cast do really well and they spar together in an often blistering fashion, Colbert is adorable and amusing and Douglas is suitably suave and doesn't play his part too seriously. Robert Young does his best to bring charm to a not always pleasant and too good to be true part and does succeed.

Of the cast, only Lee Bowman underwhelms with a bland, underwritten character that he struggles to do much with. So it was not always easy to sympathise with him. The script definitely could have done with more consistent wit, and sharper wit at that, and tautness and also would have benefitted from not being too contrived, because some of it is rather forced.

Furthermore, too much of the story, based on a premise that was pretty silly anyway in the first place, is improbable with too many character motivations and decisions not making sense due to not being explored enough or introduced properly. It is particularly apparent in the final third and brings down 'I Met Him in Paris' a lot. It also takes too long to get going, the Paris portion doesn't really engage.

Altogether, found myself very conflicted on 'I Met Him in Paris. A generous 6/10

Two clunkers in a row - first Bluebeard, then I met him in Paris. The clothes are great, the settings lovely, and the script - a mind-boggling inane conglomeration of improbable and contrived situations that must have contributed to the demise of the screwball comedy. A series of wealthy people with too much time on their hands, acting juvenile (or madcap, as they used to call it). Everyone here has been better elsewhere. Douglas and Young are both in love with Colbert, and three high-tail it off to Switzerland, as the question surfaces: who will Claudette end up with? Of course, Melvyn Douglas is billed above Robert Young, so we know what the outcome must be. As much as I love old films, and Colbert, and Douglas, and Young, I stuck this one out, but it never really gelled for me.

Claudette Colbert stars in one of her most underrated romantic comedies (though it was a big hit at the time and so acclaimed that The New York Times listed it as one of the ten best films of the year) as an aspiring American fashion designer who is off to see Paris and leave her dull fiancé Lee Bowman behind for at least a temporary separation. Alas, Claudette is a lost babe in the woods in France, speaking no French but she runs into two young Americans who take her under her wing and have more than a little interest in taking her romantically. Moderately successful novelist Robert Young is the one who is the more spirited and to Claudette's taste; his playwright buddy Melvyn Douglas is a little too stodgy and dour for her. She thinks Douglas is a spoil sport nosing in on their fun, unaware he is actually watching out for her since Bobby boy is not yet divorced and has a habit of romancing innocent young ladies. Eventually she warms up a little to Douglas but when she learns that the boys have hidden Young's marital status from her she's enraged and none too pleased either with her old beau Bowman who clearly doesn't trust her and has shown up to check up on her. (Claudette's character herself isn't that much of an angel given she's open to being wooed even while she is promised to another). This delightful piece of fluff moves faster than the runaway bobsled Claudette finds herself on at one point and while the plot has holes (shouldn't she have been checking out the fashion scene in Paris on her vacation rather than venturing off to Switzerland with the boys?) the movie is a lot of fun and the queen of romantic comedy, Miss Colbert, gives one of her most delightful performances.

Poor Lee Bowman! There's nothing wrong with his appearance or acting, but he always plays the guy who gets thrown over for another guy. In I Met Him in Paris, he's engaged to Claudette Colbert, but she's not sure she wants to settle down for someone so steady and reliable. Off she goes to Paris to make up her mind and have one last fling. The one last fling turns into two as she gets wooed by both Robert Young and Melvyn Douglas.

If you like romantic ski lodge movies, like Last Holiday, rent this black-and-white version for a real treat. I absolutely love Claudette, and even though she's an incredible dramatic actress, she's best well known for her cutesy comedies. She's just as adorable as she always is in this one, and this time around, she gets to prance around in the snow and take a toboggan ride! And as far as the love triangle goes, it's very hard to choose between Robert and Melvyn's characters. Robert is charming, glib, and romantic, but since he comes across as being too good to be true, you can't help but want to give Melvyn a fair chance. He's dead-set against his rival and a bit of a downer sometimes, so you can't help but want to give Lee another chance! My, my, who will Claudette pick?

If you love romantic comedies then this passes as easy watching.Douglas and Colbert gel but the script lacked sparkle . When I analyse Colberts career it has to be said that she really isn't in many that you would describe as classics,that have stood the test of time.Her performances are generally excellent but often in mediocre films