Have you seen it?

Ten Inch Hero 2008

Elisabeth Harnois and Sean Patrick Flanery

This is definitely one of my favorite romantic comedies that I have seen in the past several years. First of all, the movie’s title – double entendre with sexual meaning – is not associated with the story except one or two brief jokes. I’m sure it sells better though. It’s about the staff of the nice, cozy restaurant and their lives.

Great writing, solid acting and delivery, excellent production values. What I’d like to point out, the characters are very well written, all of them are very appealing with whatever they’re going through and have to say. They’re revealing their true nature throughout the whole movie in sort of subplots that actually create the common multi plot of the movie. The nature of the film is a warm comedy, and bit of romance that comes in very non-intrusive way. The acting is great, the scenes are OK and dialog, fresh and edgy.

It was the first film that I have seen in a while that felt like it was written and directed by real people, not a formula film vetted by a series of industry drones. The dramatic aspects of the film were familiar and yet not predictable. The women in the film were much more progressive and real than are typical in larger budget studio productions, and the portrayal of sex and sexuality was downright honest. The cast was obviously enjoying themselves, and stayed on task to deliver excellent performances. I really appreciated that it actually dealt with some real content and issues, but wrapped in a warm and fuzzy bubble-gum kind of context. It is both entertaining and amusing, a movie I can re-watch easily.

His Girl Friday     1940

Staring Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant

Ace reporter Hildy Johnson (Rosiland Russell) goes to the quick-witted, self serving,managing editor Walter Burns (Cary Grant) who is also her boss and ex husband- to tell him that she’s leaving the paper and is to marry Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy) an insurance salesman. Burns realizes he wants Hildy back both as a wife and a cracker Reporter. He uses every trick in the book to discredit Baldwin and temps Hildy with front page story about Earl Williams a possibly innocent man who’s been convicted of murder.

In Hecht and MacArthur’s original play, The Front Page, the male Hildy (Hildebrandt) has decided to quiet working for Burns’ trashy tabloid. Ten years later while casting for the Role of Burns, Howard Hawkes, had his secretary read Hildy’s lines and liked the new slant a female lead gave to the story. With Hecht ‘s permission Hildebrandt became Hildegaard and scriptwriter Lederer wrote in a romantic subplot that hightened the editor-reporter relationship.
The movie makes use of overlapping dialogue, simultaneous conversations, rapid-fire delivery, sarcastic insults and plot twists- all necessary ingredients of a screwball masterpiece but at twice the usual speed and volume.

If you haven’t seen it, it’s available to stream on amazon prime.  I would love to know your thoughts on this great movie.

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