L'amour coûte cher

Huge names in this! José ferrer, who had already starred in caine mutiny and moulin rouge. Jim backus is probably best known as thurston howell III, and mad mad world, of course. Gena rowlands made a ton of films with peter falk, and was married to cassavetes. Keep an eye out for ed platt (the chief), werner klemperer was colonel klink! And one of the secretaries is nancy kulp, who will go on to be miss hathaway! Fun scene right at the start, where husband and wife don't speak, but have a perfectly choreographed routine, from getting dressed to eating breakfast. The first words spoken by them come at eight minutes in! The issues of the day are jim thinks they will be making big changes at work, and ginny thinks she might be "with child". It's okay. Kind of slow in the middle, picks up again at the end. It's more interesting for the big names, even though some of these actors weren't so big yet! Directed by josé ferrer. And mrs. Mason was played by henny backus, jim's real wife!

This 90 minute movie could have been over in 30 seconds, if Jim Fry had just gone up to his boss and asked why he wasn't invited to the luncheon.

As it stands, it feels like they really had to struggle to stretch this story out to an hour and a half. The first ten minutes is nothing but opening credits and a long pointless scene of Fry and his wife silently getting out of bed, having breakfast, and getting ready for the day. I was hoping their cars would crash when they pulled out of their garage in that weird way, so there would be some action.

There is no romantic spark between Jose Ferrer and Gena Rowlands, and the ending of the movie is blatantly spelled out for the audience about thirty minutes before the movie actually ends. For a "comedy," there are almost literally no laughs.

But on the plus side, I grew up in the 1950's, and I enjoyed seeing all the old appliances and cars and their dashboards and work desks without computers and even smoking in the office. So there's that.

In the 1950s, José Ferrer's career seemed to be charmed. He won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1951, was nominated two years later and with this film, "The High Cost of Living", they not only had him star in the picture but direct it as well. And, in the process proved he was exceptional at both jobs.

Jim Fry (Ferrer) is a simple man...a guy who works hard in a predictable job with a wife who loves him and enjoys this predictability. However, when there is talk of a merger with his company and another, everyone seems to have received an invitation to a big luncheon except for Jim. He soon starts to wonder if they are going to fire him...that WOULD explain why he wasn't invited. The problem is that his wife (Gena Rowlands) just informed him that she's pregnant!

I loved so much about this film. The script seemed honest and realistic, the acting just the same. Overall, they take a movie that SHOULD have perhaps earned a 5 or 6 and made it nearly earn a 9...something I rarely give any film. Well worth your time.

Jim (José Ferrer) and Ginny Fry (Gena Rowlands) are a happily married couple. She may be pregnant. He goes to work in purchasing in a large company which is merging with another and possibly facing layoffs. He grows concerned when he doesn't get invited to an important executive luncheon meeting. Each perceived slight only adds to his concern for his job.

I wonder if this is humor during the 50's. It's not, at least not in today's term. Humor does change over time. The funniest bit may be backing out of the garage. The movie feels flat. It does have a young Gena Rowlands in her first theatrical film. She's only support. When they're together, they are a 50's couple. This could be satire if it hits harder at the corporate culture. The problem with showing the situation from his bosses' point of view is that it takes away any of the dangers. In essence, the drama is diminished. It's self-inflicted and all a misunderstanding with no real danger. So the movie is not that funny nor is it that dramatic. It has some minor fun towards the end but it's not enough.

Although this film is a little light-hearted comedy, it is well worth seeing, for many remarkable features. One is the sheer talent of everyone involved!

Mel Ferrer, who directed and acted as its main star, has far more legendary talent in both areas than this film shows. Gena Rowlands is a fabulous actress and although this is her first film, you can already see the fine acting talent she was about to become.

Rather fascinating to see is Richard Deacon, who has played in so many films and sitcoms I've lost count, in the role of the obstetrician, and Nancy Kulp, who was deeply loved as the gawky bank secretary in "The Beverley Hillbillies", and Ed Platt, who was legendary as "the Chief" in "Get Smart".

The story itself revolves around a misunderstanding. Jim Fry, played by Ferrer, believes that he is about to get the sack, when in fact he is actually about to be promoted. A series of events worsens his fears with each passing day, and he very nearly causes a catastrophe. Although this film is obviously limited in its scope and storyline, seeing all these wonderful and deeply loved actors all together in this one film transforms this little piece of fluff into a genuinely remarkable experience, which no lover of films and TV sitcoms should miss!

The best parts of the film, in my opinion, occur in the parts of the film when Ferrer and Rowlands are together. They play a very sweet couple who, after nine years of marriage, have their morning routine worked out so well it's a symphony of timing and choreography. Several other subsequent films have tried to mirror this routine but no-one has yet achieved the perfection of this original one.

This film gets a thoroughly deserved 9 out of 10 from me. It doesn't get a higher score only because of the limitations in its scope.