Pluskylang
Great Film overall
Kamila Bell
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Quiet Muffin
This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
TheLittleSongbird
'The Tender Trap' had a lot going for it, namely with the casting of Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds (my main reason in seeing the film in tribute to her), David Wayne and Celeste Holm. Charles Walters has also had his share of solid films.And that is what 'The Tender Trap' is, a solid film. This said, it is not going to appeal to everybody and considering the high calibre of talent it could easily have been great. It's pleasant, it's charming, it's well-performed and it's well made, it just needed more spice and tenderness with it feeling a little bland in places.It is lacking in the romantic department and is uneven in the comedy. There is a lack of chemistry between Sinatra and Reynolds, their chemistry is clinical and not particularly warm and one never gets the sense that they are in love, partly because of the character and writing that Reynolds has to work with but it was like she and Sinatra didn't get on.Reynolds' role and material don't play to her strengths, an example of a normally adorable and very bubbly screen presence that captivates in charm made to look stiff and annoying. The script is uneven, it sparkles with the supporting cast (especially with Celeste Holm) but falls flat with Reynolds, the wittier moments not always being sharp enough.However, Walters does do a competent job directing and 'The Tender Trap' is filmed with real elegance with the production values in general being sumptuous and charmingly 50s (for someone who really likes 50s production values the look of the film was in no way a flaw). One of 'The Tender Trap's' biggest pleasures is the timeless title song, beautifully and intimately staged and after hearing Sinatra sing it with such impeccable control and phrasing and his unmistakable timbre one cannot imagine the song sung by anybody else other than him. The music overall fits beautifully.While the writing is uneven, there are parts that do sparkle in a witty way, there are a few poignant moments and while some of what it has to say does not hold up now and may not be in the best of taste for some for me those parts illuminated still. The story charms a good deal and doesn't bore.Sinatra is perfectly cast and has endearing charisma. The supporting cast are even better, especially incandescently classy Celeste Holm and hilarious David Wayne (the morning-after scene is an absolute joy). A pre-Morticia Addams Carolyn Jones is also notable.On the whole, charming and pleasant but could have been better. 7/10 Bethany Cox
wes-connors
It's a CinemaScope culture clash when swinging Manhattan playboy agent Frank Sinatra (as Charlie Reader) falls in love with sweet marriage-minded actress Debbie Reynolds (as Julie Gillis). Fond of lipstick and liquor, Mr. Sinatra finds it difficult to commit. The surprising thing about this semi-serious sixties comedy is the thoughtful and mature subplot acted out by David Wayne (as Joe McCall), who moves in with Sinatra while contemplating divorce, and one of his promiscuous pal's girlfriends, Celeste Holm (as Sylvia Crewes).With the lead relationship between Sinatra and Ms. Reynolds proceeding in flat and predictable fashion, Mr. Wayne and Ms. Holm are the ones to watch. They were nominated for "Supporting Actor" and "Supporting Actress" awards by "Film Daily". Also receiving industry attention was the great title track "(Love Is) The Tender Trap" by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, which received an "Academy Award" nomination. Sinatra's great Capitol Records version took an understandable and well-deserved trip to the US "Top Ten".****** The Tender Trap (11/4/55) Charles Walters ~ Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, David Wayne, Celeste Holm
MartinHafer
"The Tender Trap" is a very odd film because it's almost like a couple different movies combined. The first is a light comedy where Frank Sinatra plays a lovable playboy. The second is a darker story where the hollowness of Sinatra's care-free life is exposed in all its ugliness and selfishness. The net effect, though quite good, probably served to confuse audiences and I could easily see how the film would have very skewed reactions among the viewers.The film begins with David Wayne leaving his wife and kids and coming for a surprise visit with his lecherous old friend, Sinatra. It soon seems that all of Frank's time is spent chasing one woman after another and he has absolutely no interest in settling down and getting married. Wayne appears to envy this sort of existence--at least at first. However, as the film progresses, the humor vanishes as Wayne starts to see that Sinatra is hurting these women and that he is just a selfish jerk--and he tells him so. So much for being a comedy!! Despite this being a somewhat uncomfortable mix of moods, I liked the film quite a bit. I guess that's because I am a very happily married man and I enjoyed the pro-marriage indoctrination (which the film really was). It just seems pretty funny that they chose Sinatra for such a part--as, in many ways, he was an awful lot like the character he played. As for the women in Frank's life, Celeste Holm had the best part and did a lot with it. Some have complained about Debbie Reynold's rather one-dimensional character, but I thought she was pretty good. But, like several reviewers pointed out, Wayne and Holm definitely were the standout performances
moonspinner55
Unsuccessful Broadway show from Max Shulman and Robert Paul Smith becomes glossy, tepid M-G-M romantic comedy with one song. Frank Sinatra is certainly well-cast as a womanizing theatrical agent in New York City, and Debbie Reynolds is cute as a singer-dancer under her own personal deadline to get married, but this archaic set-up is no longer any fun. To the bachelor, available girls are just "tomatoes" (pronounced tuh-may-tahs); to the talented songbird, being a woman means nothing without having a husband to validate her. Premise comes directly from that antiseptic '50s aesthetic that women want marriage in order to start a family (just like their mothers), but men want marriage in order to get into the bedroom (because no self-respecting 'tomato' would go all the way without vows). Ladies-man Sinatra does a lot of sweetheart-talking and forehead kissing, yet his randy excursions (and drunken escapades) are merely chatted about, never seen. He's called a monster, a heel--which seems a tad severe for a guy who never seems to get any action because his phone is always ringing and his doorbell is always buzzing. Sinatra and Reynolds may have indeed proved to be a splendid screen-couple, but they are trapped by "The Tender Trap", which curdles from coyness. ** from ****
