Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

utgard14 Delightful comedy starring James Cagney as Biff Grimes, a turn of the century dentist who reflects on the past while plotting revenge on a former friend who wronged him. Cagney is terrific in one of his best comedy roles. He's so charming and likable, with a twinkle in his eye in every scene. Rarely has he been better than he is here. Olivia de Havilland flexes her comedy muscles as a suffragette who falls in love with Biff. Cagney and de Havilland make for a marvelous pair. It's a shame they didn't do more movies together. For her part, Rita Hayworth is good as the titular character, although most of the heavy lifting comes from other players. She's basically supposed to look beautiful and be an "ideal," and she does that quite well. Great support from Alan Ladd as Biff's father, George Tobias as his friend, and Jack Carson as the villain of the piece. Carson was a likable actor but he had a very limited range, so usually I either love him or hate him depending on if the part fits him or not. This one thankfully does. Wonderful use of music from the period. Really adds to the light and cheerful atmosphere of the film. It does take a darker turn in the second half, but only briefly, and it manages to come out on the other side without losing any momentum. Remake of a 1933 film called One Sunday Afternoon starring Gary Cooper. Remade again in 1948 under the original film's title. This version is far and away the best of the three.

jjnxn-1 A lovely film with perfect performances from all four leads. Cagney is at his braggart best in the early going changing and maturing in a real, believable way. Olivia saucy and a bit bold but with a tenderness underneath, one of her best early performances. They share an immensely moving scene in the later part of the film, some of the best acting either ever did. Jack Carson with his oily glad handing charm is a marvelous fit for the mercenary, boorish, contemptible and rather stupid Hugo. But the one who benefited most from this film was Rita Hayworth. She had been slowly working her way up the ladder to this point but taking over the role when Ann Sheridan got into a dispute with her Warner bosses she took it between her teeth and ran with it all the way to A list stardom. Beautiful and flighty and every mans fantasy she is sublime in her single minded pursuit of wealth and position. Witty and wry and looking sensational in the period clothing she also skillfully shows her character's gradual change from coquettish young filly to dissatisfied, hardened shrew. Walsh sets a sprightly tone to the film and moves it forward at an assured pace helped greatly by several members of the Warner stock company especially Alan Hale and George Tobias. Not as well known as it should be this is classic cinema from Hollywood's Golden age.

vincentlynch-moonoi While James Cagney earned his reputation with gangster-related roles, I've never been a particular fan of him in that genre. It's when he stepped out of the gangster-genre that I found him quite appealing, particularly in roles where (as critic Bosley Crowther praised him in this film) he was pleasantly or appealingly "pugnacious".Although for a while it seems as if this is simply a light romance, it gets deeper and more involved when we realize that the Cagney character will go to prison for graft that he approved as a business partner to the sleazy, blow-hard Jack Carson. Carson is really the guilty one, but he gets off scot-free; Cagney was simply ignorant "rubber-stamping" his approval of what ended up being building code violations, including one that led to the death of his own father. Cagney takes the fall. But, comes out of prison a dentist! After getting out of prison, in a dental emergency, Cagney gets called to pull a tooth for Carson, and realizes he has the chance to kill Carson via nitrous oxide. He doesn't, and over the second half of the film we understand that rather than being a light romantic comedy, this is actually a beautiful love story.Cagney shines here, and is rather balanced in that he is subtle, when need be, but his usual slightly over-the-top when it is called for. He is balanced very nicely by Olivia de Havilland as the girl he first dislikes, but ultimately falls in love with and marries. Jack Carson plays his role as a wheeler-dealer to the hilt. Rita Hayworth, not usually a favorite of mine, is very good here as the sweet and ultimately not-so-sweet strawberry blonde.Notable character roles are played by Alan Hale, Sr., as Cagney's father (there's a wonderful scene with him under the influence of the laughing gas), and George Tobias as a Greek friend and neighbor. And, you'll learn a bit about turn-of-the-century dentistry and the use of leeches! Highly recommended, and perhaps one for your DVD shelf.

reader4 This movie can't decide what it's trying to be. Or perhaps it's trying to be everything, sort of like a Bollywood (Mumbai) epic.It starts out as a nostalgic period piece, and a musical at that, set in the Gay Nineties, or perhaps just after the turn of the 20th century. I thought at first that I had recorded it in error. Those who aren't old enough to remember "Sing Along With Mitch," much less "follow the bouncing ball," will probably not recognize most of the old standards that are performed here.What we mostly see during this section, besides brass bands and barbershop quartets, is Jimmy Cagney engaging in fisticuffs with just about everyone he comes in contact with, because "that's just the sort of hairpin" he is. It is interesting to see a young George Reeves with a moustache.Then, abandoning the songs, the movie turns into a comedy of the first water, a great deal better than I expected. If it had continued in this vein, I would have rated it at least a 7 and kept it. The dialog is clever and witty, with many unexpected lines, and Olivia de Havilland particularly shines as a Suffragette who's more talk than action when it comes to the pinch.After the comedy portion, it becomes a fairly mundane love story for a while, with Cagney and Carson both chasing Hayworth and the loser ending up with de Havilland as the consolation prize.Then suddenly the movie turns into a tear jerker! After this betrayal, I almost didn't finish it out.But wait, we're not finished with our chameleon act yet! The final quarter of the movie is a didactic morality fable, with speeches and justice for all.The acting is top notch throughout. De Havilland is head and shoulders above the others, but Cagney and Carson do a great job as well. Rita Hayworth crackles, several years before she even thought of putting the blame on Mame. George Tobias, who is probably most famous for portraying Abner Kravitz on "Bewitched," must have been at the peak of his career, as he gets fourth billing.If you like pat, sappy Broadway musicals that are a bit on the heavyhanded side, you will like this film all the way through. Otherwise, if you were expecting a comedy, you will probably feel betrayed, as I did.