La tentazione del signor Smith

Fleeing from a party in Connecticut where too many men have made too many passes at her, Debbie Reynolds takes refuge at the horse ranch of Curd Jurgens, a grumpy leading man of the stage who has retired. He offers her a job as his secretary, she accepts, and feelings rise about her between Jurgens, John Saxon, and Troy Donahue.

Blake Edwards' movie is based on a Broadway hit by F. Hugh Herbert, but it;s too mannered and polite to raise much laughter, despite housekeeper Estelle Winwood nursing a sick seagull and Jurgens' back going out every time he tries to be masculine. Edwards' screenplay opens up the show expertly, but despite a cast that includes Alexis Smith and Mary Astor, it's a dull non-affair.

It is definitely a vehicle for Curt Jurgens to display his talents in light comedy. Debbie Reynolds is quite at home in her element here, which is also light and breezy with touches of seriousness now and then. On the whole I feel the film is lacking in spontaneity and robust humor, one senses it has been pre-planned too well and the actors may be going through the motions. It's enjoyable entertainment without delving into deeper matters.

A late Eisenhower era rom com with all the sparkle and verve of a John Foster Dulles presser, this has to be Blake Edwards' most dispiriting film until the curdled and worn out "SOB" came along. I can think, off the top of my head, of at least fifty actors who would have been better than Curt Jurgens, from Leon Ames to Robert Young. John Saxon, as per usual, soon descends into a pool of ennui while Debbie Reynolds, also per usual, is engaging but is given absolutely none of the script's (also by Edwards) few good lines. Those are instead mostly outsourced to Estelle Winwood, as a dipso house keeper with an unfunny pet seagull and, in the film's only interestingly surprising turn, Alexis Smith who shows that, had she not chosen the love interest career path, she could have been a better looking Eve Arden. Solid C.

PS...A crappy print and terminally perky music didn't help matters, either.

The only people in which this movie will produce the titular happy feeling are the kinds of people who strongly believe that age similarity is an essential factor in romance. If the idea of a May-December romance turns your stomach, and you think it would be funny to laugh at an older man trying to show masculine prowess in front of a younger girl, by all means rent This Happy Feeling.

I was probably the last person on Earth who should have watched this movie. Not only do I have a soft spot in my heart for any May-December romance, but I had been in one prior to renting this "comedy". The very day that my relationship ended, This Happy Feeling was selected for movie night. The man responsible for my terrific heartbreak looked, moved, and wore expressions very, very similarly to the lead actor Curd Jurgens. He loved horses, the younger girl feigned interest in a boy her own age to make Curd jealous, and Curd gave a big speech about living in two different worlds - all elements that were too close for comfort. Can't a girl catch a break? I bawled my way through the entire movie.

From an objective perspective, there's something about this movie that just doesn't work. First, there's Debbie Reynolds, who has zero sex appeal or charm. Curd starts the movie in a relationship with the sultry Alexis Smith, who makes it very clear that she loves her bedroom activities with him. If he has that, why would he ever be attracted to Debbie? If everyone were treating him like an old man who can't enjoy life anymore, it might make sense that he finds Debbie's attentions refreshing - but clearly, that isn't the case. Debbie's character is just a series of mistakes, confusion, and stupidity.

If you can get past her, there's John Saxon: the younger, "more suitable" part of the love triangle. He has nothing going for him except his age. He looks up to Curd like a father figure, but he has no substance of his own and is quite immature. There's really no reason for a triangle at all, since he comes in a distant second to Curd in every particular.

If you can get past him, there's the biggest problem of all: Curd. Again, I'm being as objective as I can, so trust me when I'm not just trying to nobly defend my ex-boyfriend. Curd is masculine, strong, and sexy. At the start of the movie, he has dinner with Alexis and she complains that they haven't spent quality time together in two weeks. Accusing him of slowing down, he remarks, "When a man reaches my age, it's not slowing down. It's conservation." Translation: he still has a healthy appetite and will use his energy when it really counts. In that scene, yes, he was well cast. However, for the rest of the movie, he was terribly miscast. He's made out to be an old buffoon, fodder for audiences' laughter. Just as For Love or Money was extremely disrespectful to Kirk Douglas, this movie was insulting to Curd. He tries to impress Debbie by keeping up with her on the dance floor and pulls his back out. He makes an abrupt exit, claiming he forgot to take care of something on the farm. Later, it shows him in bed in agony as his housekeep tries to work the kinks out of his back. In another scene, he chases after Debbie as she leaves on a train. He romantically runs after the train, then falls into a construction pit. These "jokes" about his age and infirmity aren't funny. If someone else were cast, like Danny Kaye or Bob Hope, the humor would have been funny. Bob Hope would have been a great choice, since he normally made sex jokes during his movies; the idea of him chasing after Debbie Reynolds and getting a backache would have been very funny indeed. But if they're going to cast someone who has an intensely attractive energy, they might as well cast Burt Lancaster - and no one would have wanted to laugh at him, either.

Whatever Blake Edwards did to the screenplay (since he received the credit, he wrote at least 51% of the material) just didn't work. Is the leading man supposed to be a stud or over the hill? Is he supposed to realize he's old enough to be Debbie's father, or is he supposed to strut around with his shirt unbuttoned as he comes into her bedroom late at night? The theme of the story could have been showing that finding love, no matter what age, makes a man feel youthful and hopeful. It could have been sweet, touching, and charming. Audiences could have held back happy tears as the end credits rolled; instead, it was lousy and insulting.

And girls, if you've just broken up with (or been broken up with) an older man, don't even think of renting this movie. You don't need to be tortured any more than you are already.

Lifeless suburban-comedy has Blake Edwards' name on it, but nowhere is there evidence of his comedic spirit or comic timing (true, he's an uneven filmmaker, but this is way off the mark). Debbie Reynolds plays a virginal secretary holding strong to her virtue while working for handsome actor Curt Jurgens; John Saxon plays a neighbor boy who befriends her. Blake Edwards adapted the screenplay from the theatrical piece "For Love Or Money" written by a fellow named F. Hugh Herbert--HIS name alone is funnier than anything in Blake's script! Is this material supposed to be sophisticated? If so, it's about as satirical and sparkling as dinner theater in the Amazon. * from ****