Easy Living

The lightning pace makes all the difference in a film like this. All the coincidences and pratfalls are made up for by magnificent witty dialogue and great atmosphere. Lots of little pointed bits of social commentary are strewn throughout the film but none overshadow the comedy.

Not one of my favorite screwball comedies, but entertaining enough.

A good screwball comedy. The writing is crisp, the coincidences not too many (and the pace is fast enough that you accept them), and the acting is good, including a couple of my favorite character actors, Robert Greig and Franklin Pangborn.

Some fun comedy set pieces, like the laudromat, but just a pretty solid comedy for me.

While the witty parts are strong, there's just too much slapstick and smart-people-do-idiotic-things to give this screwball comedy more than a "just average" score. Arthur is the bright spot here.

Not "great" as has a very dated milieu but the cast do well and rescue this from the scrap-pile. IMO not hilarious but a fine timewaster for those at a loose end. Realism be damned.

The annoying overacting aside, this was fun silly thing to watch. A case where the quantity of comic elements compensates for their average quality.

Breezy old-school comedy that I wasn't expecting to enjoy nearly as much as I did. What a pleasant surprise this was. Terrific performances, excellent pacing, sets that looked splendid even in black & white. The plot starts moving almost immediately and doesn't let up for a single second from then on. Seeing a young Ray Milland was pretty nifty, & seeing Jean Arthur for I believe the first time was fabulous. A line towards the very end made me cringe a bit, but that didn't ruin the experience.

"cooking breakfast" line and its precursors aside, this is a great comedy and one of the best films dealing with the financial understanding of the speculation.

Every movie needs Jean Arthur.

Watchable but over-the-top, not terribly original, clever or funny, and the occasional blots of slapstick have aged especially poorly.

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

horrible

Amusing enough though sort of mediocre screwball (is this even really screwball?) Lots of yelling and pratfalls. Is it just me or does Sturges seem sort of decidedly lower-brow than his contemporaries like Lubitsch or Wilder? This has a somewhat similar basic premise as Christmas in July (easily my favorite Sturges) just not executed as well. The differences are all in the subtle details i guess. I could have done with more witty banter, less broad caricatures.

Jean Arthur becomes a kept woman and doesn't even know it! Hilarious in periods, but didn't feel it delivered up to the high expectations I had based on it's reputation. My favorite sequence of the movie didn't even feature Arthur. It was a fur-coat chase between the childish wife and brute bill-paying husband! I wish they'd put more Edward Arnold vs Mary Nash scenes in this! Luis Alberni & Franklin Pangborn was also on with the little they had to work with. So all in all a lively movie!

watched: 2013, 2020

The film zips along at a nice pace and there are plenty of laugh out loud moments throughout.

Although the plot is amusing and has plenty of entertaining developments, the execution is off. Far too many goofy pratfalls, and scenes that go on way too long. It's a common problem with 30's comedies... the timing is designed to leave room for laughs, which might work with an uproarious audience, but not so much on the living room couch. However, Arthur is great and the film makes some fun commentary on social status, gossip-mongering, and the world of high finance. Too bad it isn't funnier.

An excellent comedy, well-written (Sturges) and expertly directed (Leisen). Jean Arthur is very very good, as always, and Edward Arnold does an excellent job of playing the plutocrat for laughs.