If ever a movie (and in particular, a comedy) deserved a 10-star rating, this is it. From first to last, this movie is terrific. I have seen it so many times (and so has my family) that we have dozens of standing jokes/gags in our collective repertoire derived from it. Two things make it great: (1) the script, which is just crackling with fabulously hilarious lines for all the actors; and (2) the cast which, without doubt, is the greatest comic cast ever assembled in the history of the civilized world.
It's so hard to single out individual performances when they were all so good, but...
This film is the gold standard by which every comedy is judged; very few even come close, and there isn't one that has surpassed it. Nor is there likely ever to be one, given how comic creativity is generally in the skids.
It's so hard to single out individual performances when they were all so good, but...
- Spencer Tracy: his portrayal of the henpecked, tired, ready-to-retire civil servant is phenomenally realistic.
- Ethel Merman: can you even begin to imagine someone else in that role?
- Jonathan Winters: the big sweet guy you can't help but like.
This film is the gold standard by which every comedy is judged; very few even come close, and there isn't one that has surpassed it. Nor is there likely ever to be one, given how comic creativity is generally in the skids.