The Thin Man Goes Home
The Thin Man Goes Home
NR | 24 December 1944 (USA)
The Thin Man Goes Home Trailers

On a trip to visit his parents, detective Nick Charles gets mixed up in a murder investigation.

Reviews
Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
binapiraeus Here we've got a complete change of atmosphere for our city-dwellers Nick and Nora: they travel to Nick's small hometown to see his parents after a long time. And since Nick knows how much his father disapproves of his excessive drinking, he's gone on a 'diet' of... apple cider! But Father also disapproves of something else: that Nick didn't become a doctor like himself, but just a 'cop'... And yet that's exactly what's made him famous in his town: the many difficult murder cases he's solved in the city. And so everybody thinks, as soon as he turns up in the sleepy hole, that he must be here 'on business'... But while he's trying to persuade everyone that he's just on holiday - he DOES get his 'business': a young man is shot right in front of the door of his parents' house! So, whether he wants to or not, he helps investigating (since the country cops are even dumber than those in the city...); and he uncovers not only a whole number of well-kept family secrets, but - with a painting that Nora buys him for his birthday and that seems strangely coveted by some people as evidence - finally a big case of industrial espionage! And as for the identity of the actual murderer: here he makes his father proud at last with his knowledge of forensic medicine...Now, it depends on the point of view: you could call the environment in this movie either unusual or unsuitable for Nick and Nora. Anyway, let's see it from the positive side: William Powell and Myrna Loy are once again in great shape and in the mood for cheeky jokes (Nickie Jr. was left at home this time, so there aren't any parents' issues), Anne Revere gives a great performance as 'Crazy Mary' and Donald Meek as the nutty art dealer and Edward Brophy (who had played 'Morelli' in the original first "Thin Man" movie) as the chatty salesman provide good fun entertainment, and the plot is really quite clever and full of surprises.Still, you can feel the atmosphere changing and drifting further away from the first 'Thin Man' movies; so, for fans of Nick and Nora (as we knew them from the 30s) this one might be a slight disappointment - but as a crime comedy on the whole it's certainly solid, well-made entertainment!
gavin6942 Nick (William Powell) and Nora (Myrna Loy) go on holiday, and end up involved in a murder.While Powell is the title character, Loy carries the picture. Her fast talking and attitude (reminiscent of a certain Howard Hawks heroine) really draws us in and keeps the pace going steady. She was apparently almost replaced... that would have been the death of the series for sure.I enjoyed the spanking scene, with Powell calling this the "power of the press", with that adorable dog clapping -- in fact, the dog in general is definitely a character all his own.Not sure what is up with how the sailor dances -- it looks more like assault at times.I would love to point out that the greatest cinematographer of all time, Karl Freund, photographed this picture. However, there is nothing of his creativity here... perhaps stifled by the studio atmosphere.
poetcomic1 Hands down, the best mystery and BIGGEST surprise ending in the series. The jokes and repartee are first class, lots of excellent supporting roles and by keeping a tight rein on the 'Thin Man Formula' it keeps everything fresh. You've got just enough drinking jokes (Nick's on the wagon because they're visiting his folks) but the scenes when his dad thinks he's drunk make up for it. Mercifully, they left Nick, Jr. at home - family stuff hurts the chemistry of Nick and Nora more than anything. Also,there is exactly the right amount of Asta. And of course, as everyone suspects, Asta is their 'real' child.Not as many rough characters interacting with Nick in this one, but Nora herself inadvertently lapsing into criminal lingo as she tells the story about 'Stinky Davis' to her staid in-laws is even better! Also, you got the wonderful Edward Brophy, who specialized in comic gangster roles, posing as as the most improbable of 'greeting card salesmen' - his 'made up shop talk' is hilarious. And the great Anne Revere (later black-listed) acts to the hilt in a small but juicy dramatic role - you'd swear that 'Red Annie' was doing Brecht! I dare you to find one minute of Anne Revere on screen in ANY film in which she was not TOTALLY mesmerizing.Director Thorpe was not quite 'One-Shot Van Dine' the best Thin Man director but he seldom puts his foot wrong. Boring camera placements and indifferent staging if you care about that, but when your listening to Nick and Nora sparring you don't really notice.
blanche-2 It's 1945, the trains are packed with people, Asta doesn't remain hidden under Nora's fur coat so Nick, Nora and Asta end up in the baggage car as they travel to Nick's home town. And Nick is drinking only cider - his father never approved of drink. Thus begins, "The Thin Man Goes Home," made as the war was ending and a lot of people whose lives had changed were thinking about going home.Nick, it turns out, has an uneasy relationship with his doctor dad because he himself never became a doctor. When the inevitable mystery arises around a murder, Nora wants Nick to solve it to impress his dad.The fact is, the scripts of "The Thin Man" series never mattered. It was always the acting and interaction of William Powell and Myrna Loy, and here, as usual, they're great - loving, flippant, and funny. Since Nick is always falling on the floor or getting hit on the head, it's hard for anyone to believe he's sober. At a charity dance, in order to do some investigating, he gives his dance tickets to a sailor and Nora becomes his partner. The dance scene is hilarious as the sailor tosses Nora all over the place and swings her around with the kind of maneuvers you see in pair figure skating.The war is still on so the story involves espionage. A very young Gloria de Haven does nicely as a self-consciously over-dramatic young woman; Harry Davenport and Lucile Watson are great as Nick's parents; and the later blacklisted Anne Revere does a fine job as Crazy Mary.William Powell could read the phone book with class and humor; Loy looks beautiful and their teamwork has never been better. Highly recommended.