LouHomey From my favorite movies..

JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

atlasmb I Live My Life starts out as a simple story: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, girl runs away, boy pursues girl. But the boy is an Irish archaeologist who is not afraid to get his hands dirty and who spurns "people with too much money". The girl comes from a wealthy New York/Connecticut family that cowers in the presence of the grandmother who controls the family fortune and, therefore, their lives.During the film, the characters tell a series of lies. In the beginning, these are frivolous lies told with no concern for the feelings of others. By the end of the film, they lie for love.I am not a huge fan of Joan Crawford, who plays the wealthy and frivolous girl, Kay Bentley. But in some of her early films she displays a great energy. I Live My Life is one of those films. On occasion, she even displays emotional subtlety.Brian Aherne plays the boy. He is, in turns, ebullient and downcast as his character (Terry O'Neill) is buffeted by the fickle winds of Kate's affections.The cast includes memorable performances all around, especially by Eric Blore as the Bentley butler.The gowns and other wardrobe that were fashioned by Adrian deserve mention. Others have been critical of his efforts in this film, but I found them immensely enjoyable. Even when they are impractical, they accentuate the frivolous nature of the rich who inhabit this film. They are bold statements that sometimes transcend practicality and embrace art. The film itself is not a masterpiece, but it satisfies

blanche-2 Brian Aherne and Joan Crawford declare "I Live My Life" in this 1935 comedy. No one can butcher a comedy like Joan Crawford. After I saw "Susan and God," I found out that it was supposed to be a comedy. The problem with Crawford is that she was such a hard worker, and when you work hard at comedy, it doesn't come off. She was much more successful in drama. Brian Aherne, an excellent actor who was better than most of his roles, just didn't have a grasp of comedic style.Crawford plays Kay, an heiress in Greece who meets a handsome archaeologist (Aherne). He falls for her, but she hasn't given him her real name and has told him she's a secretary. When he gets to New York, he can't find her. When he does, he finds out she's engaged to someone else.This could have been much better with Gable and Lombard, or Gable and Myrna Loy. It is a spirited comedy with a terrific supporting cast that includes Aline MacMahon, Arthur Treacher, Eric Blore, and Jessie Ralph. Jessie Ralph, as Kay's grandmother, is a scream.This is somewhat fun, but it could have been so much more.

TOML-4 Crawford is very funny in this follow up to the trend started by It Happened One Night. Brian Aherne is miscast, but the are a good looking couple and there is some chemistry there, although not as much as there would be with Tracy or Gable. None-the-less, Crawford added a nice comedy to her dossier and it wears well even today.

Plymouth-58 MGM's desperation for new Crawford ventures wafts over this overstuffed and un-funny 1935 production. The gowns are beautiful, she looks fantastic ... but look for no chemistry between Crawford and Aherne. "Fun" and "silly" escape Crawford's abilities. Yes, she rides a runaway mule, slips down a hill, and falls on her backside ... but all done with a grimly painted on smile. Her discomfort spans the decades.