Ball of Fire

Corny and terribly dated it'd be so easy to dismiss this. Yet I couldn't help enjoying myself, from the great dance number at the beginning, to the many snow white allusions, the ridiculous slang and the tired archetypes. It's an absurd comedy that doesn't realize just how absurd it is because it's grounded in a realism that's no longer real.

Five years ago I wrote that Hawks doesn't have "a strong visual sensibility". Lol wtf was I talking about?

Hawks makes a film that is brisk and funny. It looks effortless. It's one of those movies that makes it seem like minor classics could be dashed off on old studio soundstages between shots of bourbon. Cooper balances his stalwart masculinity with an endearing stumbling charm. Stanwyck, meanwhile, simply does what she always did: strides through with the purposefulness of actor that could achieve anything, maybe the first performer who inspired that happy suspicion.

A delightful romantic comedy from Hawks. Wilder's script is never laugh-out-loud funny, but brilliantly written and thought out. Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper, as the sassy tomboy and the professor who gets infatuated with her, are both terrific; Cooper's constant pertubation is spot-on. Dana Andrews as a gangster is another favorite in the top-notch cast, and the actors playing the rest of the professors were well-picked, too. Great!

Lesser comedy from Hawks, with a tired 'hip reinvigorating squares' plot. His trademark snappy dialogue is lacking, particularly dragged down by the dated slang. Cooper's professor is dull, and while the 'Seven Dwarves' professors are sometimes amusing their accents grate. The best thing here is Stanwyck. Like most of Hawk's leading ladies she's smart, capable and funny. Despite her appeal the romance feels contrived, Cooper dousing any of the sparks she creates. Flawed, but not without charm

Very illuminating!

Barbara Stanwyck delivers another excellent performance with the help of a superb supportig ensemble. The weak point is Gary Cooper, who just kind of looks like he's in a daze for the entire film.

Silly, harmless, and childish, but in a cute way actually. It could have been way more annoying, but the acting was charming enough. In modern days, the "slang" is also curious and amusing due to it sounding funny

A fair bit more cute than clever, but a pleasant and nicely-shot pass-time on the oft-revisited "He's square; she's... round" theme. Could've done with more Gene Krupa and less of the whole last act. And if you like the character actors of the era who specialized in "old and eccentric", well, you've got the 7 dwarfs worth of them here.

Great stuff from Hawks. Stanwyck is playing a version of her better-known character from The Lady Eve (Pottsy-Hopsy, anyone?), but she is delightful throughout. Loved the matchbox number, as well as the emotional Sweet Genevieve. And I appreciate the way the group of professors hang together, as the ostensible star in Cooper ends up blending into the group. Some might see that as a fault (maybe it is) but it works so well to undergird the community that forms the foundation of this story.

Cooper has such a stilted way in most of his performances, but this time it's used to great potential as an erudite professor smitten with love (as are his fellow dwarves, I mean professors). Of course, the hip slang of the day is now sadly dated; the underlying message still brings a hearty laugh throughout most of the film.

I found Ball of Fire a little bland to start but it charmed me as it went, even if the romance really pushes believability. Would a gal like Sugarpuss fall for a lad like Potts as quickly and madly as this? 100% no. Wilder's wit is ever-present, but it's not quite the same without him calling the shots. I've only dipped my toe with Hawks but I'm yet to be wowed by him.

A hot night club singer shacks up with eight nerds to teach them about 1940s slang. Exactly as fun as that sounds.

Agreeable comedy jammed with... well, lots of everything--especially slang. Pauline Kael did have a point when she wrote, "[It's] played as if it were terribly bright, but it's rather shrill and tiresome. The professor's colleagues have corny cute names and carry on like people left over from a stock-company Viennese operetta." Still, a pleasant way to pass just under 2 hours.

Grammarian meets chippie in a fetching sequin number designed by the impeccable Edith Head - it's a lesson in archaic slang from an era on the edge of war with a terrifyingly anti-intellectual foe bent on slaughtering a whole generation of lexicographers, artists and lovers of decadent stuff like jazz.

89.00

A rare misstep from director Hawks (to say nothing of screenwriters Wilder & Brackett) -- nothing really works in this overlong, wheezy comedy, with one of Cooper's most monotonous performances drowning any sparks engendered by Stanwyck's flashy and amusing performance - she is far and away the highlight, with the seven professor greek chorus also falling frustratingly flat. Plot bears some resemblance to SOME LIKE IT HOT - an infinitely more successful comic creation!

Cute.... a little too gentle one-toned sense of humor for my liking. But nothing beats the name "Sugarpuss" stumbling out of Gary Cooper's nervous mouth!

In parts dated & horribly cliched but overall it simply works. Stanwyck is a standout. Just persist through the rough bits and you'll be rewarded with an old school forties comedy that retains a great deal of charm and entertainment. Loved the professors' workroom and the resolution of the standoff therein. Gary Cooper may seem a bit befuddled and remote but he still gets the number of that bulldozer that hits him so "seems" it is heh heh. The support cast is excellent too.

If I could disregard some of the ridiculous overacting and illogically generated motifs of the characters, this rating would be multiple points higher.

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

Howard Hawks #3

A kind of poor man's Lady Eve, though Gary Cooper's befuddled professor at least makes a more enticing prospect for Stanwyck's seductive skills than Henry Fonda's gormless, phlegmatic Yankee drip of a mark.

interesting nowwhite and seven dwarfs adaptation... a bit dull

89.000

"Meet John Doe" lovers with the seven Pa's (Pamuk Prenses ve Yedi Dedeler). A real NERD movie. clever dialogues, match boogie, chinese torture, Great Oddley (Richard Haydn - what a voice!) and -Edith Head is right- the most beautiful legs in Hollywood: Barbara Stanwyck. One of the best screwballs of its era. Hawks did it again. (PS: A Song is Born bu filmin müzikal yeniden çevrimi.)

Krupa is awesome. Sadly this is a tad bit too formulaic even if Stanwyck really shines, the gullible old men were kind of fun at first but it's all really strange... kind of lost touch with how the reality works but Wilder's writing keeps you interested.

Sharply written. That is where Billy Wilder's touch is tangible.

Lousy Dialogue - Satnwyck is fine

The first part is pretty good and has a nice comedic touch.The last part dissolves into a generic crime drama that drags this film down and ultimately loses any charm it had at the beginning.Both Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Copper give good performances and the chemistry between them was decent.

watched: 2011, 2020

Delightful is the word for this one. Stanwyck is especially lovely, of course. And PeaceAnarchy's review sums up the rest. BOOGIE!

Good simple fun film. Flat - not much depth in characters, stereotypical. Worth a matinee watch.

The sweet and harsh elements don't quite mesh here, but Cooper and Stanwyck are good together, and the film is well-paced, so it works.

Written sharply, but packed from wall to wall with so much slang that it comes off as gimmicky and dated. It's just not very funny.

Rather overstretched but fitfully amusing romp inspired by _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_.

A very predictable and formulaic comedy. The gags are mostly okay, but nothing here will make you fall off your chair with laughter. Surprisingly, the best parts are the boogie numbers with Gene Krupa's band, especially the "Match Boogie". I've never cared much for Cooper, but Stanwyck sizzles. Other than that, there's just not much here that's noteworthy. Not a bad way to kill some time, but not a great one either. It's just not that funny, and it drags on for far too long.

The "Drum Boogie" performance with Gene Krupa is one of cinema's great musical moments. Not least because Barbara Stanwyck clearly can't dance (at one point in this rousing song, she just goes and sits on the edge of the stage) yet still manages to put across that electricity only she can generate. Also, it's about slang vs. knowledge. And lust confused with love. Just a charming, essential flick.

"Nerds' Night Out". One of the few screwball comedies that still works today. Absolutely hilarious