"She'll write like any other American girl, when she needs money." That's what happens when Sandra Dee heads off to college, ending father James Stewart's homebound headaches but adding new ones. It's too soon for him to learn that silence is deafening as he still has one daughter at home, as well as a straight talking wife (Audrey Meadows), maybe no longer a Honeymooner, but still gifted with that delightful raspy voice that could crack ice. If having been approached for autographs by kids who think that he was the star of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" isn't enough, he has to hear wife quote "Que Sera Sera" from "The Man Who Knew too Much". But those un-plot related references to other Jimmy Stewart movies are forced laughs, while the real plot line has him recounting his story to the executives and board of his employers, deciding whether or not to ask for his resignation or fire him.
An often eye rolling farce tests trying too hard to be "hip", this uses Stewart's hearing at his job and phone calls to explain what's going on in the story. If this reveals anything, it's the ridiculousness of some college aged kids obsession with social issues (often doing it simply to be involved with the crowd, not even understanding the whole issue), and getting involved with the "wrong" crowd. Stewart, getting involved in trying to talk some sense into his daughter, keeps getting into hot water thanks to his dizzy daughter. Bob Denver adds a few minor chuckles as a beatnik college student, while John McGiver plays the stereotypical staid stick in the mud businessman. One thing the script does get right in this unbelievable version of a forgotten Broadway hit is the description of Dee as "Cuckoo, the Bird Girl", unintentionally getting pop into trouble, but he's no rocket scientist either.
There have been much better films (comic and dramatic) about the generation gap, here proving that the gap is located between both generation's ears. The film is too episodic to really grab the viewer completely, stuck in its decade and locked on its reels with superglue. Poor Meadows is sadly wasted as the stereotypical mom, no different than Joan Bennett was in "Father of the Bride", window dressing only. Unlike the quietly ignored Spencer Tracy in that film, though, Stewart keeps making a fool out of himself, perhaps a good reason as to why pop always pays but never gets involved. Pretty photography in exotic settings doesn't hide the film's mediocrity, complete with some truly stinky songs, including one about Paris that I hope to never hear again, especially as sung by the tone deaf Ms. Dee.
An often eye rolling farce tests trying too hard to be "hip", this uses Stewart's hearing at his job and phone calls to explain what's going on in the story. If this reveals anything, it's the ridiculousness of some college aged kids obsession with social issues (often doing it simply to be involved with the crowd, not even understanding the whole issue), and getting involved with the "wrong" crowd. Stewart, getting involved in trying to talk some sense into his daughter, keeps getting into hot water thanks to his dizzy daughter. Bob Denver adds a few minor chuckles as a beatnik college student, while John McGiver plays the stereotypical staid stick in the mud businessman. One thing the script does get right in this unbelievable version of a forgotten Broadway hit is the description of Dee as "Cuckoo, the Bird Girl", unintentionally getting pop into trouble, but he's no rocket scientist either.
There have been much better films (comic and dramatic) about the generation gap, here proving that the gap is located between both generation's ears. The film is too episodic to really grab the viewer completely, stuck in its decade and locked on its reels with superglue. Poor Meadows is sadly wasted as the stereotypical mom, no different than Joan Bennett was in "Father of the Bride", window dressing only. Unlike the quietly ignored Spencer Tracy in that film, though, Stewart keeps making a fool out of himself, perhaps a good reason as to why pop always pays but never gets involved. Pretty photography in exotic settings doesn't hide the film's mediocrity, complete with some truly stinky songs, including one about Paris that I hope to never hear again, especially as sung by the tone deaf Ms. Dee.