Clevercell Very disappointing...

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

utgard14 Delightful comedy classic from Columbia Pictures and director George Stevens. During World War II there was a housing shortage in many big cities, particularly Washington D.C. This is the backdrop for the film's zany plot that has retired businessman Charles Coburn renting half of Jean Arthur's apartment, then turning around and renting half of his half to soldier Joel McCrea, and trying to play matchmaker for McCrea and Arthur.Jean Arthur has rarely been more cute and more likable than she is here. Joel McCrea shows the same kind of charm and comic timing that he displayed in his Preston Sturges comedies. Charles Coburn is, of course, terrific ("Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead!"). He deservedly won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance (the only win out of six Oscar nominations the film received). It's a great movie with a witty script and a trio of stars that have wonderful chemistry together. Not the most well-known comedy from the period perhaps but I think it's one of the best.

mmallon4 The More The Merrier represents the screwball genre adapting for the war years however this was at the end of the genre's original run. I wonder why there was not more screwball comedies made during the war period? Did people become more cynical with the war or perhaps the genre was simply made for the depression era. Instead of taking on the establishment like the genre screwball did during the depression, The More The Merrier is supporting it. It is refreshing to see a propaganda film from the war years which is less gloomy and shows how common folk got on with their daily lives during the war.My main flaw with The More The Merrier is Joel McCrea. He's fine but that's the problem, he's only just fine; a serviceable actor who doesn't leave a great impression. He's the weak spot of a trio of characters who could have been much stronger with a more charismatic actor. Granted this was during the war and most of Hollywood's big male leads where off in Europe kicking Hitler's ass. Could Cary Grant have played the role instead, but perhaps a big star like that couldn't play a role in he doesn't show up until half an hour in. The trio of characters still manages to be fun with Jean Arthur playing the straight man and Charles Coburn as an immature and conniving old man who still seems like a kid at heart; while the romance between Arthur and MrCrea is still believable and handled very well as they spend the final third of the film quietly denying their feelings for each other.Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn are one of the more unconventional screen pairings in Hollywood starring in three films together, just look at the morning schedule scene; comic choreographed brilliance and by far my favourite part of the film. When McCrea enters the picture though I feel it is never as strong. Also after you watch this movie you may find yourself saying "dam the torpedoes, full speed ahead!", a lot.

drmalama I feel it's important to mention some caveats before I start gushing about this movie: I don't enjoy every single scene of The More the Merrier, the last comedy George Stevens ever directed. Occasionally the film feels dated, and all the casual talk about "Japs" is bound to make other modern-day viewers feel uncomfortable as well (though it's worthwhile to keep the context in mind). But when The More the Merrier hits its stride, it's funny, sweet, romantic, daffy, and everything a great screwball comedy should be. It's terrifically enjoyable without denying the realities of the time.We're in Washington in 1942, when the proliferation of war jobs and servicemen passing through resulted in a huge housing problem. Even an elderly retired millionaire like Benjamin Dingle (Charles Coburn), who arrives in the city as a Senate-sponsored consultant two days ahead of schedule, finds that he is not guaranteed a place to stay. The cheerful, gleefully manipulative Mr.Dingle finds a room for rent in the paper, fools a gaggle of other prospective tenants into getting out of his way, and railroads the apartment's occupant, prim government worker Connie Milligan (Jean Arthur), into letting him stay. She wanted to rent to a woman to prevent raised eyebrows among her neighbors (which, given the time, was certainly a risk), but she barely gets a peep in before Dingle's setting up shop.After unilaterally deciding that what his pretty, somewhat tightly wound roommate needs is a "high-type, clean-cut, nice young fella" (and epically failing at sticking to Connie's baffling morning schedule) Mr. Dingle proceeds to rent half of his room to another prospective tenant. He finds one in Sgt. Joe Carter (Joel McCrea), a soldier set to ship out to the front in a week. Dingle initially tries to keep Joe and Connie from noticing the other's existence, but that can only last so long. Connie is unable to kick out either of her new roomies and so attempts to adjust, though she makes it clear that she's engaged to her boss and so off the market. But Dingle, a self-appointed cupid, has other ideas--he senses that this Mr. Charles J. Pendergast is a stuffy bore (he's right), and slyly maneuvers Connie and Joe toward each other. It doesn't hurt that the two seem to operate on the same wavelength (an adorable early scene has them both doing the rumba by themselves in separate rooms). Eventually they cannot hide their attraction to each other, though the war inevitably gets in the way. The performances are what make The More the Merrier irresistible. Coburn, delightfully cheeky, won an Oscar for his turn as the benevolently Machiavellian matchmaker. But the chemistry between Arthur and McCrea deserves special mention. It's a wonder that their scene on Connie's front stoop got past the censors--while there's nothing R-rated, things get a little "tactile"--but it's breathtakingly sexy. The next scene, where the thin wall that separates their bedrooms allows them to talk to each other, is equally powerful in a more poignant, understated way. I think this movie has made me a lifelong fan of both actors. The film has some flaws--some slightly unconvincing crying, and the aforementioned "Japs" issue--but don't let that deter you. There's a reason the term "underrated classic" so often follows the mention of The More The Merrier. In some ways it's a product of its time, but its emotional grace notes about love, lust, and taking risks haven't aged a bit.

Steffi_P With World War Two at its height, and the realities of wartime shortage and risk to life starting to hit the United States, it is heartening to find that people were still able to find warmth and humour in their own desperate situation. The More the Merrier is a charming romantic comedy set amid the lesser-known facets of wartime history on America's home front.The story is woven rather craftily about the realities of the Washington housing shortage and the unexplained yet delightful attempts of an eccentric stranger to bring together a young couple. It's a perfectly balanced screenplay with what is actually a rather small number of scenes, each of which is well-developed enough to move the plot forward in its own way. It shows the signs of having gone through a great many screenwriters – Robert Russell, Frank Ross, Richard Flournoy, Lewis Foster and Garson Kanin – each of whom would have had his own strengths and brought his own revisions and refinements. Probably what is best about it is the likability of its characters, in spite of their apparent failings. Joel McCrea is sullen, Jean Arthur snobbish, and Charles Coburn does a great many devious acts, albeit in a good cause. And yet despite these surface flaws, their characters are forgivable and instantly engaging.Of course part of the appeal of these characters is in the way they are brought to life by the cast. It's difficult to talk much about the specifics of each of the three lead performances because what is really marvellous about Arthur, McCrea and Coburn is the way they interact with each other. They have a rapport based on brilliant timing and a real understanding of what their characters are to each other. A lot of the humour comes from their readings of the lines, such as McCrea's brilliantly-timed deadpan delivery in his first scene. From most other actresses, Arthur's wailing at the end would be annoying, but with her it's funny. Coburn is able to turn himself from the bluff old gentleman to something more unconventional, such as when he suddenly joins in with the boys playing at shooting each other. The More the Merrier shows us way of acting that is never exactly typical, but a mix of the realistic and the bizarre. All three of the principle players give what is probably their career best.The director is George Stevens, whose background was in comedy but was moving ever more towards drama. As usual he turns various scenes into a kind of slapstick, usually drawing out normal situations (like the morning schedule) to the point of absurdity, often with a slow pace unusual for physical comedy. Sometimes this is quite funny (such as the time it takes Arthur to realise Coburn is at her window), at others it is a little heavy-handed (Coburn's pants getting caught on a door handle is done in an obvious close-up that makes it less funny than it should be). Where it really pays off though is in the seemingly innocuous lines of dialogue that round off the action. After Coburn's ineptitude has lead to him tipping the coffeepot into his bath, he explains why there is only a tiny dribble left with by blandly stating "There's a war going on, Miss Milligan" – a line that sounds hilarious after the long-drawn out chaos that has preceded it.But despite his obvious love of slapstick, Stevens's real forte lay in tender, emotional drama, and it is around this time that his style really starts to come of age. There's an incredibly tantalising moment, when we think McCrea and Arthur are going to kiss. Stevens moves the camera in ever so slowly as would be normal cinematic convention, and when the kiss doesn't happen it's all the more jarring. Later we see him using the technique of long-drawn out sequences turned to something more romantic, as the couple sit half-drunk on the steps of the apartment, obviously hopelessly in love with each other but talking as if they're not. Stevens's constant angle changes, barely using the same set-up twice, stop us from seeing the apartment as a conceivable place and focus us entirely upon the people within it.The More the Merrier is a lovely heart-warming picture, and more than any other movie I can think of the good intentions of cast, crew and writers shine through. One gets the feeling that it is at one and the same time both a carefully planned production and one that largely came together on the set – the situations, the characters, the performance, the way each scene is shot, the witty dialogue – it seems as if each one has shaped and fed into the other. It is clearly a piece of dedicated teamwork and mutual understanding, and in many ways reflects the wartime spirit better than any other picture.