Meu Querido Maluco

There are genuinely funny moments in this film; I didn't want to take my eyes off Powell and Loy for a second during the first half. The last act, however, really gets ridiculous with the psychiatrists' examination of Powell. It may have been inane just for laughs, but it seemed to escape me. Besides that, all the misunderstandings between characters, and especially the elevator scene, are prime examples of comedy that will be hard to top. It's hard to find that excellent Powell/Loy chemistry anywhere else, though their other films are of higher quality.

Worth the price of admission is seeing William Powell pretending to be insane in order to postpone divorce proceedings--and then, to top that, disguise himself as a female relative in what has to be one of the funniest madcap screwball comedies ever!

Jack Carson, Gail Patrick and the wonderful Florence Bates (as the mother-in-law from hell) are captivating in supporting roles. It's a riot from beginning to end--fast-paced and sure to tickle your funnybone--if you have one.

Powell and Loy were a wonderful team as Nick and Nora Charles--but this is their finest screwball comedy and they're both at the top of their form. Well worth viewing, it's a surprisingly little known gem.

As a big fan of The Thin Man movies, I really wanted to see this film because of William Powell and Myrna Loy. I'm so glad I did because it was fantastic! It does fit the genre of screwball comedies of that time period without any alteration, so you may find yourself picking up on the rhythm of the script and predicting lines, as I did. The supporting cast is great, but what is surprising is that in this film, it almost feels like Myrna Loy is included in that group. William Powell took every scene he was in and carried it right away. He was droll and a little weird, but he still remained a believable character. There were some moments when I cringed, I'll only mention Abraham Lincoln if you haven't seen this movie, but they did not detract from me rolling around on the floor in laughter. I suppose I must mention Powell in drag, which is ridiculously funny and countered extremely well by Loy. She did her best work in her scenes with Powell just by playing along or completely denying any of his efforts to seem insane. Although they both get top billing, this is William Powell's film. He was hilarious and honest and I can't believe this film isn't more talked about!

"Love Crazy" is a rather uneven comedy starring that wonderful team of Myrna Loy and William Powell, along with Jack Carson and Florence Bates. The film starts out one way - a madly in love couple celebrating their fourth anniversary - and then goes another - divorce court.

When Stephen Ireland (Powell) runs into an old girlfriend (Gail Patrick) living in his building, the fun begins. They spend the evening talking, but due to a variety of circumstances, Susan (Loy) doesn't believe his story and decides to file for divorce immediately. Stephen does everything he can to get his wife back, but as the divorce becomes close to being finalized, he feigns insanity to buy more time.

Powell is great at slapstick, of course, and there's plenty of it as he slips on the rug his mother-in-law (Bates) gave them and swings upside down from trees. The extra little kick here comes from his scenes in drag, which are phenomenal. Powell is perfect as his own sister and even shaved his trademark mustache! One of the funniest scenes occurs when a thread from his fake breast gets caught on the spindle of the record player and unravels.

There's little to be said about Powell and Loy - they are always a delight. Jack Carson has a great role as a neighbor interested in Loy. "Willoughby, Ward Willoughby," is how he introduces himself. He's wonderful. Florence Bates is appropriately annoying. Gail Patrick, with her good looks and magnificent voice, has a part that actually disappears for a good deal of the film, but returns later. She's excellent. But Powell in drag is a revelation and the best thing about the film for me.

I read recently with interest that Don Adams' voice in "Get Smart" was actually modeled on Powell's speaking patterns and pitch. Of course, during this film, I couldn't stop thinking about it and realizing the similarity. Don Adams couldn't have chosen a better model.

One of my favourite screwball comedies, what with William Powell and Myrna Loy and great MGM cast and production values who could ask for anything more? Well, maybe a more even plotting, but on such a manic roller-coaster ride, you don't really have time to care.

Happy couple celebrating their 4th wedding anniversary are plunged into suspicion when Powell's slinky ex Gail Patrick and world champion bow and arrower Jack Carson (keeping his torso free) appear in their lives. Filing for divorce ensues, the only way Powell can stop it is to feign insanity. Things inevitably and delightfully go from bad to worse. And it all could have been avoided by an intelligible explanation by him to her of why there was a taxi cab waiting for him outside the hotel! Is a wife who's so ready to call her previously faithful and adoring husband a liar worthy of such a chase? But this is Powell & Loy and you know that everything is all right throughout and everything will be all right by the end because they obviously love each other so much. Carson put in a solid performance, it would have been a poorer film without his knockabout honesty. Powell and Carson keep hilariously jibing each other as nuts with bbble bbble bbble's, but I suppose some serious people today who have inexplicably watched this might not find the subject of madness treated the way they'd like. Phhhffft - political correctness is lunacy anyway! Favourite bits: Powell's bedraggled return from posting his mother-in-law's letter; freeing his feet from the tyranny of his enemy shoes; the method of escape from the sanatorium; Loy's elegant poise throughout in contrast to Powell's slapstick.

It's certainly not perfect but it's still a gem, a delightful 98 minutes of nonsense.