The More the Merrier (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'The More the Merrier' (directed by George Stevens) - a delightful & animated romantic comedy with terrific performances - is set in Washington D.C. during WWII when there was a major housing shortage + single males. Jean Arthur plays Connie Milligan, an attractive single woman who lives by herself in a small apartment. To do her part in alleviating the housing issue, Connie sublets 1/2 of her home the elderly Benjamin Dingle (Charles Coburn).
Benjamin is a genial roommate but is upset to see Connie without a man. So he decides that it's his duty/obligation to fix her up with someone suitable. To that, he discovers Joe Carter (Joel McCrea), a handsome Air Force mechanic who happens to be in D.C. picking up orders for a special assignment. Benjamin rents Joe 1/2 of HIS space, contrives to get Connie & Joe together in spite of themselves ... and slapsticky romantic entanglements ensue.
Director George Stevens was known for heavier fare, but this lighter-than-air farce is handled with the same matter of astuteness. Mostly using the small confines of the home, Stevens ratchets up the tension - & laughter - btwn. the crossed lovers with a great series of perfectly timed comedic scenes. Jean Arthur & Joel McCrea play-off each other extremely well. Never before had I found Arthur so charming & appealing. And you just want her & McCrea to make it in the end. George Stevens would even go as far as remarking that Arthur was "one of the greatest comediennes the screen has seen." As the well-meaning Mr. Dingle, Charles Coburn is fantastic and, it's easy to see why he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
'The More the Merrier' kinda reminded me of an optimistic Frank Capra movie in tone, so George Stevens did a great job applying his directorial prowess to the zany, screwball farce/comedy genre. This movie garnered several Academy Award nominations: Best Picture (lost to Casablanca), Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor (Coburn's win) & Best Writing. Having now seen this movie, while I prefer the 1st half of the film to the 2nd half {nothing big, just stylistic/plot choices}, I can definitely see why it was such a success critically, with audiences & with the Academy.
Benjamin is a genial roommate but is upset to see Connie without a man. So he decides that it's his duty/obligation to fix her up with someone suitable. To that, he discovers Joe Carter (Joel McCrea), a handsome Air Force mechanic who happens to be in D.C. picking up orders for a special assignment. Benjamin rents Joe 1/2 of HIS space, contrives to get Connie & Joe together in spite of themselves ... and slapsticky romantic entanglements ensue.
Director George Stevens was known for heavier fare, but this lighter-than-air farce is handled with the same matter of astuteness. Mostly using the small confines of the home, Stevens ratchets up the tension - & laughter - btwn. the crossed lovers with a great series of perfectly timed comedic scenes. Jean Arthur & Joel McCrea play-off each other extremely well. Never before had I found Arthur so charming & appealing. And you just want her & McCrea to make it in the end. George Stevens would even go as far as remarking that Arthur was "one of the greatest comediennes the screen has seen." As the well-meaning Mr. Dingle, Charles Coburn is fantastic and, it's easy to see why he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
'The More the Merrier' kinda reminded me of an optimistic Frank Capra movie in tone, so George Stevens did a great job applying his directorial prowess to the zany, screwball farce/comedy genre. This movie garnered several Academy Award nominations: Best Picture (lost to Casablanca), Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor (Coburn's win) & Best Writing. Having now seen this movie, while I prefer the 1st half of the film to the 2nd half {nothing big, just stylistic/plot choices}, I can definitely see why it was such a success critically, with audiences & with the Academy.