Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

JohnHowardReid The term, "a comedy of manners", is much abused by film and literary critics who often pin this label on bucolic slapstick like The Egg and I (1947) or mismatched romantic formulas like Misleading Lady (1932). The true comedy of manners, like The Philadelphia Story for instance, is set almost exclusively in high society where the foibles of the idle rich who have nothing better to do than play marital games, come under the microscope.As it happens, I'm not a great fan of the comedy of manners. The idle pursuits of the idle rich do not greatly interest me. But there are exceptions – like this movie and the aforesaid Philadelphia Story – where the formula is broadened to include major characters like James Stewart's reporter in P.S. or Don Ameche's cab-driver in Midnight.The latter film also has the advantage of Claudette Colbert's lead character who, like Miss Colbert's lead character in the 1942 Palm Beach Story, doesn't really belong – although she makes a good try (and this fish out of water element serves as the basis for most of the satire and comedy).Most fortunately too, Midnight has a fine supporting cast led by John Barrymore (at his scene-stealing best) and Mary Astor. And right up almost to the end of the movie when Leisen allows Monty Woolley to hog the camera and bring this fast-paced movie to a screeching halt, it's directed at an admirably rapid clip too! You really need to have your ears and eyes fully attuned and your mind clear as a bell to follow the many delightful twists and turns of the plot.

sol ***SPOILERS*** 1930's screwball comedy involving a case of mistaken identity in out of luck and broke American showgirl Eva Peabody,Claudette Colbert, getting stranded in Paris after blowing her entire life savings in Monoco and hooking up with an Hungarian Taxi driver played by handsome Irish/Italian American actor Don Ameche! In fact the very next film that he'd star in would be the one that Ameche would become most identified with where he played Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell in the movie aptly named "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell".Looking for a place to stay and a bed to sleep in Eva runs into Paris taxi driver Tibor Czerny, Don Ameche, who after taking her for a ride, free of charge, and trying to find Eva a job is left out in the rain as she runs out on him and ends up at the party attended by the wealthy and well connected Flamarion's of Versailles. Slipping in unnoticed and without an invitation Eva is rescued by George Flamarion, John Barrymore, when he slips 10,000 francs in her pocketbook to keep Eva from being run out of the party in not having the money she lost playing bridge.George wants to break up his wife Helene's, Mary Astor, affair with Paris gigolo Jacques Picol, Francis Lederer, and sees in Jacques by him not being able to keep his eyes off her Eva being the other woman that would break up his relationship with Helene! It's later when Eva uses the name of Hungarian Baroness Czerny, the name she took from cab driver Tibor, as a front that George rents out a room, or suite, at the ritzy Ritz Hotel in her name to keep the sham, in Eve being of royal blood, going!It's when the stood up Tibor who, after all he did for her, Eve walked out on tracks her down, with the help of his fellow Paris taxi drivers, at the Flammarion château in Versailles that sparks really start to fly in all directions. Outraged in being made a fool of Tibor crashes a party given at the château in Eve's honor by claiming to be her husband the Barron Tibor Von Czerny of Budapest! One of the oldest and continuous royal blood-lines in all of Europe!Great fun to watch with John Barrymore who was reported to be almost dead drunk during the filming of the movie steal every scene he's in even going so far as mimicking the Czerny's three year old doughter back in Budapest who's reportedly bedridden suffering from the measles. As for Eve she gets Tibor off balance in telling everyone at the party that he's slightly insane and has a habit of trying to be a member of the great unwashed masses,like a taxi driver of trash collector, because of the guilt he feels in being a member of the upper crust of society!****SPOILERS**** The final nail in the coffin of Eve con job is when in a fit of ager she attempts to divorce her husband the Barron, really taxi driver Tibor Czerny, who was secretly paid by Geroge to go through with it! Just when both Eva and Tibor were about to agree in getting a divorced they realized that they were in love with each other and in fact not even married thus making a divorce impossible! This had the presiding judge, Monty Woolley, in this whole wacky affair almost swallow his false teeth after both Tibor and Eva agreeing not to divorce each other tell him that their now going down to the Paris city hall to get themselves a marriage license!

moonspinner55 Claudette Colbert at her best, playing a down-on-her-luck singer in Paris who is mistaken for a member of Hungarian royalty; she goes along with the deception, but only to help wealthy John Barrymore out of his marital fix. Tightly-wound screwball farce written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder, from a story by Edwin Justus Mayer and Franz Schulz (with such a distinguished pedigree, the movie has to reach some high expectations--and does so joyfully). Directed in an efficient, brisk manner by Mitchell Leisen, with superb performances by the cast and pleasant, airy surroundings. Remade in 1945 as "Masquerade in Mexico". *** from ****

tony_procek then watch this wonderful film! I could count on two hands the number of films which have genuinely made me laugh out loud, and this is near the top of the list, perhaps even the top, of the list. I first saw it on television many years ago, and I can't remember it ever being shown since - pity. I scoured the net for it and found it on VHS eventually. As others have said, it is right up there with the likes of 'Bringing Up Baby' and 'It Happened One Night' as a sparkling comedy, but the one-liners for me surpass the anything in those films. What a shame it seems to have been forgotten. If, as someone has written, it is to re-made with Reese Witherspoon as Eve Peabody, let's hope it will make people look up this overlooked classic. They really don't make them like this anymore.