Coup de foudre

'Together Again' had a good deal going for it. An interesting premise. Direction by Charles Vidor, who was a reliable director. And two talented leads in Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer, am more familiar and have a preference for Dunne in general but it will always be hard to forget Boyer's performance in 'Gaslight'. Also like romantic comedy when it is done well, and there are numerous times where it has been (as well as badly).

For me, there are far better romantic comedies out there (old and new) than 'Together Again' and it doesn't completely succeed. As well as far worse, this is one of the bang in-between ones. Also think it could have done more with its potential. There is quite a lot to enjoy though, 'Together Again' is quite a fun inoffensive film as long as one doesn't expect a massive amount from it but it is easy to see where people less enamoured by and more critical of it are coming from.

Its weak point is the story, which even when trying to not take it too seriously is easy to criticise. It is very over-familiar and far-fetched with motivations and situations being appearing without much warning and not really explored properly and with some of the film not ringing true all that much. Also think that it would have benefitted from not trying to include as much as it did, on top of being very worthy it did feel like 'Together Again' tried to do more than it needed to.

So it did in parts feel pretty choppy which affected the amount of depth there was, which was not enough. The characters are well played on the most part and one doesn't detest them, but for my tastes they read too much like underdeveloped stereotypes. Do agree that Mona Freeman is very annoying in her role and that the first fifteen minutes are too talky and rambles on too much.

But stick with it and don't give up because 'Together Again" does generally become much more entertaining. It is very nicely shot and designed and Vidor directs more than competently, he is at ease with the material and seems engaged with it. The script has a fair share of witty moments, the best which is primarily in the chemistry between Dunne and Boyer gleaming in sparkle. Its more romantic parts have genuine charm without being over-sentimental.

While the story is heavily flawed, it is also cute and entertaining, carried by the gleaming chemistry between the two leads. Who are both very strong and engaging with material that serves them quite well. Ever reliable Charles Coburn is the standout of the rest of the cast.

On the whole, could have been a lot better but not a bad time passer. 6/10

Some fun big names in this one... Charles Coburn (Jonathan) was awesome in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".... Anne is played by Irene Dunn, who had made a whole bunch of films with Cary Grant. Lots of talking right at the beginning, and we hear how Mayor Anne Crandall has always been the straight arrow, putting others' needs before her own. This story has quite a bit in common with "Key to the City" from 1950. Small town mayor goes traveling to the big city, makes unwanted headlines, the troubles begin... although "Key" was MGM, "Together Again" was Columbia Pictures.. AND it came first. Although, honestly, "Key" was much more zany and fun. "Together" is much more sedate, calm, and collected. Boyer and Dunn are both stealing every scene, and we don't feel the chemistry we see in "Key to the City". Directed by Charles Vidor, who would also direct "Gilda" a couple years later . "Together Again" is pretty good. If you haven't seen "Key to the City", try to see that one too!

The DVD of this movie that I received from Netflix paired it with another Irene Dunne comedy vehicle, the 1936 release "Theodora Goes Wild," and I can see why. "Together Again" (a generic title, by the way, and one that doesn't even really make much sense), borrows many plot points from that earlier film and rearranges them just enough to prevent this film from being a straight remake.

Dunne plays the upstanding mayor of a provincial town who resists falling for an artist from the city (Charles Boyer) when she hires him to create a new statue for the town square. The statue happens to be of her late husband, the town's previous mayor, whose legacy Dunne has spent the years since his death trying to live up to. She becomes involved in a minor scandal while staying in the city, and tries to keep it from the town once she returns. But Boyer playfully uses it to blackmail her into accepting his advances. An additional storyline involving Dunne's daughter and her boyfriend adds some amusing complications to the situation.

This film is a little bit of nothing, but it's cute and entertaining. It doesn't make any sense; plot developments spring out of thin air, and characters turn on a dime. But Dunne and Boyer make a good pair, and it's easy to see why they collaborated frequently. They have a lot of chemistry, and I've never liked Boyer better than here where he gets to show his comedic charming side. Terrific character actor Charles Coburn plays Dunne's father-in-law, whose purpose in life is to get Dunne married again. Some of the film's funniest moments come from hearing the things he says about his own granddaughter, a neurotic teenager who drives him crazy.

There's a clever little weather motif running through the film that I liked very much and that ties the otherwise scattershot screenplay together rather nicely.

Grade: B

Together Again casts Irene Dunne as a small town Vermont mayor who took over when her husband died. There's a statue to him in the town square that lightning removed the head of. It has to be replaced and she goes to New York to commission sculptor Charles Boyer to make a new statue,

Dunne's household consists of father-in-law Charles Coburn in one of his patented foxy grandpa parts and her teen daughter Mona Freeman. Both think she ought to move on and start dating. Even the job as mayor is more of an obligation as Dunne sees it. Boyer's arrival gives Coburn some hope.

This was one very nice comedy and the performances of Charles Dingle as Dunne's rival for mayor and newspaper editor and Adele Jergens as a stripper that Dunne gets caught in a nightclub raid with in a very funny sequence.

Together Again was the third and final time Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne were teamed on screen. This one is not Love Affair, but this is a funny film.

I saw this film a long time ago, and I wish it were on television more often. According to another reviewer, it is not yet available on DVD, and I wish it were.

The film stars Irene Dunne as the widow of a small town mayor, and she hires a famous sculptor, portrayed by Charles Boyer, to sculpt a statue of her late "sainted" husband. After some hesitation on the part of Dunne, a romance follows, along with family predicaments that complicate the plot and create the comedy in the film. Throughout the film the tango number, "I Get Ideas," adds to the romantic atmosphere as widow Dunne finds she can love again.

The ending contains an unexpected comedic happening, and the viewer is left to imagine the outcome of plot. This film is one I would recommend to anyone who likes romantic films and "chick" flicks.