Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

JohnHowardReid A knockabout "comedy" with some too-very-much slapsticky antics from Tony Randall, which are so overdone that he outstays his initial welcome. Fred Clark and Philip Ober have some nice moments and the climax is reasonably entertaining, even if predictable once Debbie shows Tony that receipt which he tosses so casually aside (some bird- dog, he is!). Paul Douglas makes the mildly risqué jokes, Una Merkel stooges and Debbie Reynolds has the title song and a few bars of Cole Porter's "Under My Skin". Aside from some unflattering close-ups, Debbie looks grand. But George Marshall's direction is strictly routine even on just a low yoke-yoke level – as are other credits which waste Cinemascope on what is basically a minor, flat-footed domestic monkeyshine, a sort of very moderate "A" re-visit to a Ma and Pa Kettle "B". It's hard to believe this script was actually based on an H.E. Bates novel!

wes-connors Rambunctious Debbie Reynolds (as Mariette Larkin) gets the urge to mate with tax collector Tony Randall (as Lorenzo Charlton). And, he wants to mate with her! - How? - Well, farming father Paul Douglas (as Sidney "Pa" Larkin) doesn't pay taxes; he trades things, and raises piglets. Maryland "Ma" Una Merkel raises children, and bakes blueberry pies. Ms. Reynolds rides a pig into wealthy neighbor Philip Ober (as Wendell Burnshaw)'s mansion, prompting Mr. Ober to summon Mr. Randall from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). Will Randall collect taxes, Reynolds, or both? Reynolds and Randall are not a very convincing romantic couple. They should have considered casting, perhaps, Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. Randall dances a drunken melody of "Frère Jacques" / "I've Got You Under My Skin". This is followed by an impossibly implausible (even for this type of film) implied sex scene, with Reynolds. Director George Marshall gives it an appropriate feature-length "sit-com" treatment; but, the material makes the increasing slapstick more painful than funny (witness the "barn" fight scene). The supporting cast, with its old pros and fresh faces, is a treasure trove, however.***** The Mating Game (4/29/59) George Marshall ~ Debbie Reynolds, Tony Randall, Paul Douglas, Una Merkel

dougdoepke Energetic romp overseen by that veteran of slapstick George Marshall. This is not his best, but he does keep things moving. Enjoyable for the most part if you can get past owlish Tony Randall as the answer to a maiden's dream (Debbie Reynold's). He certainly looks the part of an IRS collections tiger, but it's a stretch in the romance department. Lots of barnyard innuendo as earthy farmer Paul Douglas and his obstreperous family manage a living outside the money economy. He barters things in shrewd fashion, while enjoying life's simple pleasures. That is, until snobby neighbor neighbor Philip Ober sics the IRS on him in an attempt to grab his property after Douglas refuses to sell.Really clever premise, with a provocative subtext that pits the older agrarian way of life against the modern complexities. Bureaucrat Randall must collect a lifetime of back taxes from throw-back Douglas who, of course, has never dealt in money. But Randall, all officiousness, has never encountered the likes of the artful farmer and his bursting-with-life family that keep him perpetually off-balance. At the same time, comely daughter Reynolds works her wiles in typical spirited fashion. Some funny set-ups, especially when the barnyard critters turn on the hapless bureaucrat. However, some of the slapstick goes on too long for my liking, suggesting that Marshall is indeed past his prime. Nonetheless, Douglas is near perfect as the good-natured hick, while Reynolds manages the spunk without too much excess. Look for outlaw biker Bill Smith as a muscle-bound rowdy, and of course the great Fred Clark in one of his typical bah-humbug roles. All in all, there are some genuine guffaws, but in some ways the movie is more interesting than anything else. Come to think of it, comedy aside, the movie can be viewed as a must-include at any hippie or Libertarian film retrospective.

tedg I saw this together with "Every Girl Should get Married." Each is an example of a very large collection of movies about a charming girl plotting to get an innocent and succeeding. The game in this movie is to entice the audience into falling in love with the girl, thereby setting templates and expectations in so-called real life.The filmmaker has to make a decision: will she place the audience within the movie or outside? "Every Girl" placed the viewer in the movie. The tone of the thing is earnest and the girl's appeal is earnest. She is so natural and appealing one really does fall in love with her. Her costar did as well and married her.This is different. The whole thing is cast as a show, with some musical numbers. The situation is stagy: the city gent and the country lass. Debbie Reynolds does a stereotype rather than a real person. We don't fall for her in this movie because it lacks charm. But there are many examples of this approach where we do, or rather we fall in love with the stereotype.If you are a serious movie watcher, you too need to make a choice. We cannot escape falling in love or otherwise getting engaged with what we experience on screen. But we can decide which to approach seriously. You probably want to avoid these "outside" movies that play with love.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.