CommentsXp
Best movie ever!
Breakinger
A Brilliant Conflict
Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
atlasmb
"On Approval" is a comedy of manners and it delivers on its promise to delight. The dialogue is the thing--filled with insinuations, clever slights, and unabashed insults. The four leads make the most of the plot, which is about two men trying to marry into wealthier circumstances via two sisters.One reviewer said this film is not up to Oscar Wilde's standards. Well maybe it is too tame to be Wilde, but it is still charming and filled with plenty of caustic throw-away lines and honest insights.I think I will have to see it more than once to fully appreciate the film because of the sheer volume of memorable lines. That's a prospect I can bear to suffer.
franklinlj
It says: "Women who are tired of their boyfriends come up with a new idea: exchange them." BUT - the exchange comes at the end, and is the films big surprise. Or was. I suggest replacing the current outline with something like this:"Nearly flawless period comedy, spicy but not vulgar. Two couples in the 1890's decide to see if they are suited for marriage by living together for a month on an island. Scandal ensues, though they are only living together, not 'living together'.Or are they?Ho!"(The significance of 'Ho!' will be clearer to the reader once the movie has been seen.)
barrymn1
Wow....what a surprise....I bought this on DVD sight unseen, due to the fact that it stars Beatrice Lillie in one of the very few films she ever made.She's absolutely wonderful playing a rather unpleasant, grumpy women. Similarly, Clive Brook, who capped his long film career by writing, directing and starring in this outrageous farce.I won't give away the plot, but I can't imagine a better example of how well a well known play can be adapted for the screen.If you can't live without the Criterion DVD of "The Importance Of Being Earnest", then this movie should also be on your shelf.Get it....before it disappears....
adykstra
Thanks to Blackhawk Films and Image Entertainment for the release of this rarely seen British gem. It is refreshing to see a comedy based on language and characters. Only in Britain would Beatrice Lillie have been given a starring role (along with Googie Withers in a wise supporting role) in a film like this. Like George Cukor's THE WOMEN and Mankiewicz's ALL ABOUT EVE, this is a comedy you can return to time and again and pick up something new every time. Hats off to Clive Brook!
