Lua de Mel para Três

I've never understood the success of George Brent. He seems so uninteresting in most of the movies with him that I've seen. He is particularly uncharismatic in screwball comedy, which is what this movie is trying to be.

But there are lots of things that don't really work here. Ann Sheridan, who would give a spectacular performance the next year in The Man who Came to Dinner, never takes off here.

Is it the director? Lloyd Bacon made lots of good movies. Is it his fault this one just never catches fire? I don't have an answer.

This movie has some real talent in it, but it goes nowhere.

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I watched this movie again tonight, four years after I wrote the review above. I think I must have been in a bad mood then, because I enjoyed it much more now.

The real genius here is the script, which has some wonderful lines. Director Lloyd Bacon does keep things moving at a rapid pace. Ann Sheridan, as others have noted, is attractive, though no where nearly as stunning as in The Man Who Came to Dinner, which I watched again last night for the nth time - and loved from start to finish yet once again.

There are weak points here, clichés and filler. But at its best, it really is a zippy comedy.

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I watched it again tonight - not recognizing it until well into the movie, I'm embarrassed to report - and this time found it pleasant but unremarkable. I keep watching Ann Sheridan movies because she is so good in *The Man who came to Dinner*, but that really seems to have been a one-off gem for her. What a shame.

Perhaps with a brighter script they would have managed not to look so silly, but GEORGE BRENT and ANN SHERIDAN can't redeem HONEYMOON FOR THREE no matter how hard they try. The script puts them through impossible to believe situations, the main one being why Brent (with an eye for the gals) bats his eyes at anyone else when Ann Sheridan is around. Sheridan is at her absolute physical peak and manages to deliver some sassy lines with her usual pep and appeal.

But nothing really helps, not even though the script is by Julius J. Epstein who has done some wonderful work at Warner Bros. elsewhere. And even a good supporting cast tries gamely to make the thing work, with a few chuckles at most as reward for their hard work--people like CHARLIE RUGGLES, JANE WYMAN, OSA MASSEN, WALTER CATLETT and WILLIAM T. ORR.

Brent at least shows more animation than usual in a comedy role. He and Sheridan married a couple of years later, so there should have been more chemistry between them for this feeble screwball comedy that has Sheridan as his neglected secretary who has to cope with his roving eye on one too many occasions. A highlight of the film is a dinner scene in a restaurant, but, alas, the trouble with the film is that the sum is a lot less than a few stray scenes.

Summing up: Strains too hard but misses by a wide margin.

Slim comedy that boasts terrific comic performances by stars Sheridan and Brent as bickering secretary/boss who confront a hoard of adoring women fans who flock to see their favorite author (Brent). Good support from old reliables like Charlie Ruggles, Walter Catlett, Lee Patrick, and Jane Wyman in a small part. The stars are definitely better than their material here, but the film has a lot of funny lines and cute confrontations. Ann Sheridan--one of the most underrated actresses of her time--is especially gorgeous!

Who would ever think that amiable, but rather wooden, George Brent could have a deft comedic touch? In this, as a put-upon author, he is terrific, engagingly silly, with great timing. Maybe it is the truly snappy dialogue by the Epstein brothers, who worked on so many great Warners films, including Casablanca. Or maybe it was playing opposite Ann Sheridan (a year or so after the movie was made the two were married for a year). As Brent's long-suffering secretary, Sheridan also shines, as she did in most of her films, and is absolutely gorgeous as well. The film is fast-paced farce, with a double-dinner restaurant scene that is positively manic. If you ever get a chance to see this movie, grab it. It will leave you smiling.

Successful author Kenneth Bixby (George Brent) is on a book tour with his wisecracking secretary Anne Rogers (Ann Sheridan). She insists that they get married sooner or sooner. He keeps getting notes and flowers from Miriam which is the title of his book. He is hounded by his many fans and acquaintances which leads to some sitcom ideas.

This starts out fine with a fun Ann Sheridan and a stiff George Brent. I can see some dagger dialogue from her being thrown at him. She's the best. He's less. Once all the other characters enter, she has less space to work. This is a bit of screwball fun. It's a passable comedy.