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This little-known comedy from the hit play by Ruth Gordon is a delight. The script, based on the play, is spicy, rich, and completely undated. Ditto the cast but I must underline the work of the leading lady,Irene Dunne. Irene is simply superb - as usual - and lights up the screen with every frame she's in (and she's in it a lot, thank heaven). In addition, director Vidor has given her some unusual close-ups that are mesmerizing. What a gal! I know of no other Hollywood actress from any era who has her versatility and is so convincing in every film. Why she remains so little known is a mystery. I have seen most of her films and this one was a surprise, even for a solid ID fan like myself. See it, everyone!

This American film has all the elements of the talked about, but little known "Flag Waver". While films like "Tender Comrade" and "Days of Glory" have become well known, this one has languished in obscurity. It is a lot less dramatic, but the illustrations of life stateside in wartime were revealing. Rationing, overcrowding, and folks pulling together to achieve a better life are well depicted. I can watch any movie with Irene Dunne, even if it is otherwise unremarkable.

"Over 21" stars Alexander Knox, Irene Dunne, Charles Coburn, and Jeff Donnell in a wartime story based on a Broadway play written by and starring Ruth Gordon. Gordon joined husband Garson Kanin when he joined the service and the play is inspired by that experience.

Here, Knox plays the 39-year-old newspaper editor Max Wharton, who feels that he can't write about the war unless he gets into the fray himself. His boss, Robert Gow (Charles Coburn) has a fit and so does his wife Paula (Dunne) but he insists. Paula gets housing in a broken-down bungalow so she can be closer to him. Max, meanwhile, is having a tough time. There are lots of tests, and there is a theory that people "over 21" can't absorb anything. Also his boss keeps calling, intending to pressure him to return to the paper as he is needed. Paula keeps Gow from talking to Max, but acts as if Max has agreed to write editorials. She then, under the guise of working on a screenplay, writes them herself.

This is an okay movie, if somewhat frantic. Dunne always had a wonderful style and a flair for comedy. She does a good job here but it almost seems as if she's working too hard. She has a huge part and she's not really surrounded by people as good as she is at comedy, so perhaps that's why. Knox gives an excellent speech at the end of the film.

"Over 21" is enjoyable, it's pleasant, it's no great guns, but the speech at the end is inspired.

While hubby Alexander KNOX is undergoing the rigors of officer training at an army base, IRENE DUNNE must contend humorously with several hardships of her own, including a floorboard that has to be stamped upon in order to open a window, light switches in inconvenient places, a refrigerator caked with ice, and a lack of cooking skill that means she has to call upon her willing female neighbors when her husband brings a buddy over for dinner. In addition, she has a newspaper editor (CHARLES COBURN) hounding her husband to write another article from the newspaper he walked out on--a chore which Dunne takes upon herself to do so hubby won't be distracted from his work.

Based on Ruth Gordon's own experiences as an army wife (married to writer/director Garson Kanin), it serves as a delightful role for IRENE DUNNE, who lights up the screen with her presence and has never been more attractively photographed.

But the material itself is a bit uneven, deadly serious one moment and then straying into the field of screwball comedy at other times.

Another drawback is the performance of Alexander KNOX as the overage hubby, not the world's most charismatic actor. It's the kind of role that should have been played by either EDDIE ALBERT or a bigger star like CARY GRANT.

JEFF DONNELL is amusing as a devoted soldier's wife and CHARLES EVANS and LEE PATRICK do nicely in supporting roles. But it's almost a two character story with the spotlight on Dunne and Knox running occasional interference from crusty CHARLES COBURN, and most of it takes place in their cramped living quarters which must have kept the film at a very low budget.

Summing up: An essential Irene Dunne film for her fans.

A light, uplifting and engaging movie. Watching Irene Dunne is a delight! As you watch her, she ceases to be Irene Dunne and becomes in every way Paula Wharton.

I have enjoyed Irene Dunne in every movie that I have seen and that would be nearly all of them. What a shame that most of her movies need restoration so badly. I do hope Irene Dunne movie are restored before it is too late they are such treasures Thank goodness this is not the case with Over 21.

It is a must see if you like superb acting and witty comedy with serious overtones. I agree with a previous comment on the speech "The World and Apple Pie" it was one of the many highlights of the movie. I read somewhere that Irene Dunne helped in writing that speech along with Director Vidor (Irene Dunne was a very good and charitable person in private life) and it certainly seems to show through in her movies!