Ama-Seca por Acaso

A very pleasant, agreeable little effort, dominated by the magnificent Clifton Webb - as sanguine and savourably sour a figure as rarely seen in Hollywood...

His character, Lynn Belvedere, is absolutely wonderful; wry, serene, roundly honest and arrogant; he is the focal point of the majority of the humour. The other actors are fine, with Maureen O'Hara, Richard Haydn and Robert Young more than capable supports. Yet... Belvedere's superiority is never in question: when asked at *what* he works, he simply and unequivocally states, "I am a genius".

Says it all really! There are so many witty one-liners, and amusing touches in comparison to many modern films on the same themes of babysitting and American suburbia. This is one of the most enjoyable films of its era; propelled to lofty heights by Clifton Webb's indomitable prescence. A touch of waspish, queer old England thrust into the picket-fence garden of American suburbia.

Mr.Belvedere was the vehicle, by which, I "discovered" Clifton Webb. Played to perfection (Mr.Belvedere is the definition of perfection) by Webb, he has ruined the chance for anyone to improve, or even approach, his performance. (As, for example, the weak effort to duplicate Mr. Belvedere, on the TV sitcom of the same name. The TV show may even be reason someone might stay away from this movie. Don't make that mistake.) Clifton Webb IS the "show". I can't think of anyone who has the "confidence" to carry off being the know-it-all who can/did teach the experts. A great comedic performance, like this, is an extra special surprise when coming from such an unexpected source. The usually "starched", serious actor is hilarious. The 2 sequels, Mr.Belvedere Goes to College, and Mr.Belvedere Rings the Bell, are also very good. In fact, excellent as sequels go....

Suggested movies for Clifton Webb fans..."Laura"..."Stars and Stripes Forever..."Three Coins in the Fountain"...They span his long career, show you his range, and will most definitely entertain you..........

Robert Young and Maureen O'Hara as Harry & Tacey King were the headliners in this film but a man named Lynn Belvedere (Clifton Webb) stole the show. It was perfectly logical that Mr. Belvedere would take control of the film, he is a genius. What one thing has Belvedere not done, write a book of course! But what type of book and where will the information be collected from? How about a little town of gossips that will make a satire of a town a masterpiece of writing? But how can a genius be among them and not be discovered? The King family have terrible children that no human can control. They need a maid and live-in babysitter, whom better than a person that understands children's psychology yet hates children. Mr. Belvedere soon is hired and has the whole family under his control. A man that has the children chew their food 28 times, not 20 or 24 but 28 times. A dog trainer that has the huge mountain of a dog controlled. A man that can tell the adults in the household just how childish they can behave. When the family almost breaks up can Mr. Belvedere save the family? This is a classic which will live on in movie history.

For a 1948 film dealing with the dawning era of suburbia, a concept that hadn't even existed 10 years earlier, this little charmer holds up remarkably well. The reason is Clifton Webb, who steals every scene he is in. And he's in just about every scene. This was Webb's first appearance as the fastidious Mr. Belvedere, an odd duck with a genius IQ -- and a hidden agenda. Here. he becomes a live-in babysitter for a suburban couple (Young and O'Hara) and their three boys. The one weak spot in the plot is that the three boys seem perfectly normal, but O'Hara apparently can't handle them. Much hilarity ensues once Mr. Belvedere arrives on the premises. In his off time, Mr. Belvedere is up to something in his attic room, but Young and O'Hara are hard-pressed to figure out what. A nosy neighbor (Haydn) causes no end of mischief, convinced that there must be hanky panky going on. The ending feels a bit rushed and the movie at times resembles a stage play more than a movie, but everything comes out just fine. And we finally find out Mr. Belvedere's secret. But you will have to watch the movie to find out what that secret is. A delight.

What a darling movie! Maureen O'Hara and Robert Young play a happily married couple, and if the number of times they kiss each other when it has nothing to do with their scenes is any indication, they're very happily married. But, Maureen is feeling a bit run down trying to get a handle on their three young sons, so she places an ad for a live-in nanny. Someone named Lynn Belvedere answers the ad, so Maureen and Robert think a woman is coming to live with them. Imagine their surprise when Clifton Webb knocks on the door!

Clifton is so incredibly darling in this movie, which was so successful it spawned a sequel and a television series, both of which I'm interested in renting. He plays an accomplished, self-described genius, and even though another actor might have played Mr. Belvedere as smug or irritating, Clifton just treats his perfection as a fact. Once you watch this movie, you'll want to take him home to your family, I guarantee it.

Sitting Pretty should have stuck to its original title, Mr. Belvedere, but otherwise it's a very cute movie. It's funny, romantic, sweet, and lighthearted, a perfect rental when you've had enough drama in real life and want an escape from a movie.