La mariée du dimanche

I found this film quite interesting, especially given the current mania for home makeover shows on TV. Bette Davis plays a magazine editor who, for each monthly issue, completes a home makeover for one lucky family. For the June issue, she will make over a family home in Indiana for their daughter's wedding. The catch - her writer is a new hire and a former lover, played by Robert Montgomery. Looking for a "scoop," he uncovers the real romance his goal-oriented editor misses. There's a wedding alright, but not necessarily the one that was planned...

Despite an odd pairing of Bette Davis and Robert Montgomery (which still sort of worked for me somehow) and a very disappointingly engineered ending, I quite enjoyed this film, especially Bette Davis' portrayal of the middle aged career woman.

Pleasing, breezy comedy loosely in the "screwball" style has Davis as a women's magazine editor, and Montgomery her writer. The pair of ex-lovers heads to the heartland of America to do an article on a wedding -- but complications, of course, arise. Davis and Montgomery have fine chemistry, but Montgomery's character smug mannerisms get annoying. Not too much of note here, but there are worse ways to pass the time. Will please most fans of the star duo looking for something a bit different from their usual 40s fare.

As a Hoosier who has lived most of my life in New York, who enjoys both Bette Davis and Robert Montgomery, and was in the mood for a romantic comedy (my local theater had sold out on the Bullock-Grant comedy this evening), I thought this was good. There are a number of funny scenes (including the mistaken understanding regarding the "bust").

I do grow a little tired sometimes of the absurdity of everyone marrying within a few hours on seeing someone they like - very much a 1930s-1940s movie fiction (and never reality) - yet I kind of hoped it would happen here.

In reference to the comment below about Robert Montgomery taking a 15 year old over his lap - she's actually supposed to be 18! And I therefore thought he had mixed feelings in doing it!

The dialogue here is often very extraordinary - the writer goes on flights of fancy that will make you want to rewind! This is also not a movie whose ending will please the feminists - but that's life.

All in all, a good movie with a good plot, fine performances, and enough quite funny scenes to make it enjoyable.

This is a delightful film, one of my favorites. There is a brief scene that is not to be missed, between Bette Davis (as Linda), Mary Wickes (as Rosemary) and Tom Tully (as Mr. Brinker), in which Linda and Rosemary are discussing "Mrs. Brinker's bust" as Mr. Brinker looks on. The audience knows what they're talking about, but poor Mr. Brinker does not, and his expressions and reaction are hysterically funny. The whole film is definitely worth seeing. Robert Montgomery drunk on cider is also not to be missed.

A rare Betty Davis film that's funny. She works well playing off of Robert Montgomery. Biting, witty, satirical dialogue is very funny between the two. I would never imagine these two actors together, but in this film, it works! Could have been a cloying, icky sweet film but isn't. Wonderful supporting players (Mary Wickes, Sandra Gould, Jerome Cowan, Fay Bainter). Wish someone would write films like this again, films for smart people. Alas, we are left with monosyllabic grunts most of the time. For a break, rent this film!