Tom, Dick e Harry

There are so many great films in the comedy, romance and fantasy genres individually and there are some great ones that combine all three. It is interesting when any film combines all three, and luckily the three do gel well together and when done well the effect is not tonally muddled or disjointed. Another interest point was seeing Ginger Rogers, most famous for her legendary dance partnership with Fred Astaire, in one of her non-dancing roles.

While falling short of being a great film, 'Tom, Dick and Harry' did entertain and charm me as an overall whole. Much more so than the simplistic title indicates. Not everything comes off well, with one problem being major enough sadly to stop me from getting fully invested in the film. The reason for the above average rating though is because there are a lot of good things in 'Tom, Dick and Harry', and those good things manage to be so good.

Am going to begin with what doesn't quite work. One doesn't really see this type of film for their stories, where one expects them to be lacking in surprises, very flimsy and with contrivances and silliness overkill. 'Tom, Dick and Harry' is no exception, with pretty much all of those things. Plus an ending that wraps things up too neatly.

More problematic though is that one never fully warms to the lead character, and we are talking about the character and not Rogers, a very unsubtle one and difficult to empathise with, at times we are even irritated. Consequently, it is neither fully easy to invest in the relationships or what her final decision and reasoning are.

However, there is a lot to enjoy still. Despite having problems with the character, Rogers herself is actually marvellous, throwing herself into the role with sparkling comic timing and forthright commitment while injecting some charm. The male characters could have done with more development perhaps, but the titular characters are all well played. Especially Burgess Meredith as Harry. A pleasant surprise too was how Phil Silvers managed to make an obnoxious character amusing and surprisingly endearing, two words that usually don't belong in the same sentence as that. The direction has energy and the right lightness of touch and doesn't feel heavy or static.

It looks very nice as a film, especially Rogers' clothes (which she looks stunning in) and the imaginative photography in the enchanting and wonderfully weird dream sequences. The music fits well tonally and doesn't intrude. Throughout the dialogue sparkles in its wit and there are more than a fair share of funny, if not quite hilarious, moments that come rolling fast. The story is very flawed, but at least it didn't feel dull or strained to me and had a nice light on the feet energy.

On the whole, not great but pretty entertaining in its own way. 6/10

In fact everyone is at the top of their form in this wonderfully entertaining movie, but Ginger has never been better. Even Alan Marshall, who frequently came across in films as being a little on the smarmy side, is quite likeable here. And Phil Silvers is wonderfully obnoxious as the ice-cream salesman.

It is interesting to compare this film with it's 1957 remake "The Girl Most Likely", which apart from its musical numbers sticks pretty close to the original. Now "The Girl Most Likely" is quite an entertaining film in itself, and Jane Powell is certainly a talent not to be sneezed at. But having seen both films a number of times it always surprises me just how much better "Tom, Dick and Harry" is, and how flat "The Girl Most Likely" seems in comparison. Garson Kanin has somehow managed to infuse a lightness and subtlety of wit into the original which seems to have eluded Mitchell Leisen in the remake. And of course the three male leads in "The Girl Most Likely" don't hold a candle to the three male leads here.

Certainly an adequately charming entertainment, although Ginger - an actor I enjoyed in many of her films - piles on the "barely legal" action a bit too thick, and some of the business with the wealthy part of the trio borders on the unsavory. The domestic bliss dreams are pleasantly looked forward to, and Burgess Meredith is (particularly in the diner scene) surprisingly sprightly and focused, as he advocates the working man's utopia, which must have been close to his Socialist heart. It ain't Noel Coward, and George Murphy is a stump as usual, but all in all, a pleasant enough way to waste a little time.

Ginger Rogers had that combination of dinginess and likability in this film. Only "The Major and the Minor" may rival this one. She certainly could turn on the charm.

Another interesting note about this one is that Burgess Meredith, who always tended to be typecast as somebody love-ably, slightly (depending on the film) unstable, managed to garner a bit of sex appeal in this one, and given the idea that he was the nonconformist in this film, he actually does live up to his usual reputation. The sex appeal was a rarity for him, but that's not badmouthing him at all about his "stage" presence. He was great in just about everything, and who could forget that voice?

I wish I could purchase this one!

This is one of Ginger Rogers best films of all time. Here we see her trying to find the man of her dreams. She thinks she knows what she wants but does she really?? One by one she runs into these three men who are each special to her in their own way, but she must decide on which one of them she wants to live her life with. The dream sequences are very funny and add to the sheer joy of the film. You'll love the ending!

This film gives us three killer performances, Rogers of course, George Murphy and Burgess Meredith. The others actors are good as well. This is a funny heart warming movie that doesn't disappoint. If you have a chance to see or get this movie, DO IT!!