Thinking that her husband William Powell is cheating on her thanks to the interference of her Wagnerian mother (Florence Bates). Suspicious over a situation involving his old flame (Gail Patrick), Loy uses that to file for divorce. Trying to avoid interference in a reconciliation with Loy by the deliciously meddlesome Bates, Powell pretends to be insane to prevent the divorce from going through and then disguises himself as his own sister, adding plenty of comical mishaps, most of them involving the continuously cheery Bates who wants anything but a happy ending for her daughter and son- in-law.
Reminding me of a less obnoxious version of Ethel Merman in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", Bates could be the poster dowager for passive/aggressive monster-in-law. It's also nice to see Patrick in a light-hearted role, even if she is still playing the femme fatale. In drag, Powell looks like a modern day "Whistler's Mother", like one of the many little old ladies who got some gravity in their girdle in the "Our Gang" shorts. Jack Carson is added into the mix as the fourth party in this marital mix-up, and Toto is so cute once again as Patrick's pooch who takes a liking to Powell's puss when it's trapped in the middle of an elevator door.
There's plenty of farce to keep this moving, most memorably Powell's plight in the elevator, a throw rug that knocks both Powell and Bates on their tuchus, Powell's public display of insanity (which ends up with a delicious revenge against Bates) and the wisecracks from Powell's drag alter towards the harridan mother. While the majority of Powell and Loy's co-starring vehicles focused on the verbal funny, this focuses on the visual and makes it a delight for those who need a little farce to go with their wise-cracks. This would be the last co-starring appearance of Powell and Loy outside of the "Thin Man" films and a cameo by Loy in "The Senator Was Indiscreet".
Reminding me of a less obnoxious version of Ethel Merman in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", Bates could be the poster dowager for passive/aggressive monster-in-law. It's also nice to see Patrick in a light-hearted role, even if she is still playing the femme fatale. In drag, Powell looks like a modern day "Whistler's Mother", like one of the many little old ladies who got some gravity in their girdle in the "Our Gang" shorts. Jack Carson is added into the mix as the fourth party in this marital mix-up, and Toto is so cute once again as Patrick's pooch who takes a liking to Powell's puss when it's trapped in the middle of an elevator door.
There's plenty of farce to keep this moving, most memorably Powell's plight in the elevator, a throw rug that knocks both Powell and Bates on their tuchus, Powell's public display of insanity (which ends up with a delicious revenge against Bates) and the wisecracks from Powell's drag alter towards the harridan mother. While the majority of Powell and Loy's co-starring vehicles focused on the verbal funny, this focuses on the visual and makes it a delight for those who need a little farce to go with their wise-cracks. This would be the last co-starring appearance of Powell and Loy outside of the "Thin Man" films and a cameo by Loy in "The Senator Was Indiscreet".