Lawbolisted Powerful

Steineded How sad is this?

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Blueghost The 1960s. Where we transitioned from a button down society to a vision of what people thought of as a modern society. I remember the tail end of this era as we transitioned into the 1970s, and this film gives a snapshot (in a hyper-reality sort of way) of that era. There were no personal computers, "mobile phones" were large things installed in cars, and email was a "top secret" thing.J. Pierpont Finch puts on a show of being the ideal employee, uttering flattery and showing what a great employee he is without actually being one (sort of).It was a familiar and yet alien time altogether. Most people had economic and society success on their minds, and were forward thinking only in terms of raking in new profits for services and products. Not a bad thing, but this film shows a kind of narrow mindedness that was extremely pervasive at the time. Conformity and corruption melded and split all at the same time, only to rejoin and split at the same time as business men (and women) rallied for one idea, then bailed on both idea and idea-man when it failed.Processing insurance forms, processing inventories, year end fiscal reports, reading marketing data and lab reports from R&D, are touched on, but the film is more about marketing yourself to succeed in your dream job. Finch will discover that true success comes from within.The hot secretary, the wholesome female worker, the gawky awkward hard worker, the yes men, the worry wart of the company, the bean counter, the company man, it's all here.It reminds me of the smells of office ink, carbon paper, hole punches, the clanging of typewriters, scratching of pencils, a time when no one but punks made crank phone calls, and certainly no one was hacking your email. This film will bring back those memories for those old (or young) enough to remember them. I can't say it's a period I remember with any fondness, though as a boy times were simpler then. There's a kind of Disney like quality or gloss to it. When you see Disney features or TV shows from the 1960s you get a kind of contemporary presentation where colors are slicker, styles of clothes, furniture and everything else are simpler, and yet everyone maintains a kind of casual form of 1950s etiquette while, strangely enough, at the same time being more formal (if that doesn't sound too paradoxical). And that's the kind of movie it is. We don't see any period specific trappings; no coke bottles, no Howdy Doody reruns, no references to the Space Program, no off handed references to the Soviet Union and whatever else was going on (though we do get an actor's portrayal of the Chief of State at the time).It's a window into a time when we could capture what life and styles were like in the middle of the 1960s, again presented in the hyper- reality that musicals offer, and from there we're launched into Finch's tail. The proverbial Campbell-Lucas "Hero's Journey"? In a "turned on its head" sort of way, sure.I guess what I'm saying is that in spite of everything I've written here, there isn't a whole lot to this movie. Boy meets girl, boy wants to get ahead, girl helps him, boy loses girl, and wins her back. How many movies are like that? Most of them, this one included.It's worth seeing once, or perhaps more than once if you're into the whole romantic comedy musical thing.Give it a shot.

enddetour Plot: The ultimate self-help book success story, with a little song and dance tossed in. Drive-in Rating: Yield right of way. Odd musical but one that's clearly got legs since it's enjoyed Broadway revivals. My first choice for movie remake lead is Jonah Hill as J. Pierpont Finch, the scruffy, slightly dopey, enjoyably conniving, and unconventional lead played in the movie by Robert Morse. Costumes and set decoration are ultra 60's for those who are retro fans. The movie was best when you could chart Morse's ladder-climbing by the hour or day, but toward the end you lose sight of the timer and it becomes a little less amusing. Still a worthy commentary on modern-day business.

MartinHafer This is an interesting musical. Unlike many movies that were originally Broadway musicals, this film does little to try to make it look like a movie. Instead, it plays a lot like watching a play--complete with many musical and dancing numbers where you can easily see how it was performed on stage. Now this is NOT meant an a negative--just stating how it's almost like watching a filmed version of the play. And, because of this, the sets are often very surreal--like sets from a play that are easily moved and disassembled. And, if you are interested, this play is currently playing on Broadway--with Daniel Radcliff in the revival. I am not sure if tickets are now so expensive because of its star or because it's a darn good musical--but I suspect it's both.The innocuous looking Robert Morse stars in the film (he played the same role on stage previously). He's a very, very cynical young man who used a book entitled "How To Succeed in Business"--and follows it for his meteoric rise through the ranks of a corporation. In fact, in only a matter of days, he moves from the mail room to a vice president...and his stock keeps on rising. Along the way are a lot of peppy and cynical songs--my favorite of which is "A Secretary is NOT a Toy" though "I Believe in You" has become a standard. And, to get ahead, he sucks up, manipulates and lies--all which the movie seems to heartily endorse, as in every case Morse is wildly successful! As a result, it's a funny comedy and ultimate movie for cynics! I thoroughly enjoyed it--and I really don't even like musicals all that much! Apart from good songs, a fun and goofy plot and good acting, the film manages to be entertaining and new. There just aren't any other films like it--and it's a bit surprising that it didn't make Morse a star, as he was very good here. Ironically, he's been brought back to the small screen for a recurring role on "Mad Men"--a drama that seems, at times, inspired by this film.By the way, George Fenneman plays himself. If you wonder why his face is familiar, he was the announcer for the TV show "You Bet Your Life". Also, doesn't the boss' nephew look a LOT like a 1960s version of Napoleon Dynamite?! Look at him yourself--you'll see what I mean.

riredale-2 All the while I was watching this boring and dated movie I kept thinking to myself, "This guy (Robert Morse) is trying to be Jerry Lewis and failing!" In fact, this would have been a much funnier movie with the real Jerry Lewis as the star. To me, Morse is just not funny. Given all the positive reviews here, it must be a personal thing. Also, I never saw the original Broadway show, which I suspect would have been a more natural vehicle for someone like Morse.I gave the movie 3 stars rather than 1 because I found it hilarious to see what passed for "good taste in office decor" back then. Yikes. Made me wish I was color-blind.