VividSimon Simply Perfect

ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

GazerRise Fantastic!

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

grantss It is the Annual General Meeting of International Projects, a large listed company. The board of directors are a shady lot but none of the shareholders ever question their decisions or vote against their motions. Until now. Laura Partridge, a minor shareholder, starts to ask some pretty important questions, questions which the directors don't like. In the aftermath of the meeting the directors are worried that she will form a committee of minority shareholders, and exercise some control of the company. In order to keep her quiet and in line, they offer her a job in the company, as Director of Shareholder Relations. The idea is to give her nothing to do, but Laura has other plans...Great comedy, lead by the irrepressible, effervescent Judy Holliday as Laura Partridge. Some great lines and wonderful comedic timing. A good satire on the corporate world generally.Had the potential to be a great drama too, and expose on the ethics and machinations of corporate boards. Here it falls a bit short of great, though it started very well. The initial few scenes are a wonderful indictment of company boards, how they're in it for themselves rather than the shareholders, the people they represent and work for.However, beyond those few scenes the movie loses focus on the subject. The directors become too cartoonish in their villainousness, and some of the schemes seem unlikely and contrived. Does still make a decent point regarding corporate governance and ethics, though this is dampened somewhat by the final scene, which jars with Ms Partridge's Jane Average "looking out for the little guy" ethic.The romantic angle involving Ms Partridge and Mr McKeever also set the movie back. Due to the obvious large age difference between them, felt very contrived and even creepy. Was also unnecessary and detracted from the message.

talisencrw Judy Holliday captivated me greatly, in the few of her only 9 credited films she made in her short life, before breast cancer silenced her at 43. She had a very unique presence in cinema, her voice alone was one-of-a-kind, and her comic timing was nothing short of genius. This was a fine vehicle for her (pardon the pun), in that she plays a friendly but naïve lady who inherits a cat and 10 shares in a corruptly run company, decides to attend a shareholders' meeting, and the rest is history. She fulfills the axiom that if a large company makes personal connections with the small shareholders, the little people behind the scenes who keep large corporations surviving, that the good, honest person can win in big-time American big business. Because of Holliday's splendid personality, she was perfectly cast for the role. Though her character's romance with co-star Paul Douglas' was a minor, but important, feature of the film, I found this screwball comedy in an inexpensive Mill Creek 'Classic Romances' 8-pack, that I only purchased to see another one of Holliday's performances. I think that esteemed and highly of her work.She was born on June 21, 1921--the summer solstice--and she would be turning 95 this summer, if she was still alive. My only wish is that she was, to at least read this, a love letter, from a truly appreciative fan of her work.

moonspinner55 Judy Holliday's best comedy vehicle, a wonderful adaptation of George Kaufman and Howard Teichmann's play, about a struggling actress in New York City who owns ten shares of stock in a large corporation; perplexed as to why the board members do so little and get paid so much, she attends a stockholder's meeting and soon has all the power-suits reeling. Richard Quine directs the proceedings with an assured touch, and teaming Holliday with her "Born Yesterday" stage co-star Paul Douglas was a terrific move (they have a built-in rapport). Douglas gets one of his funniest roles as the former Chairman of the Board who has gone to work in Washington, D.C., setting up a finale which mixes together a touch of Frank Capra with a bit of "Born Yesterday". Some may complain the theme of government--coupled with a wise-beyond-her-own-knowledge heroine--is too close to Judy's previous hit. While that may be true, the actress is so good at playing the innocent gal taking on the corporate sharks, it's not worth quibbling over. Big laughs from start to finish, with a doozy of a tag and fantastic comic support from Fred Clark, John Williams, Neva Patterson, and Madge Blake. ***1/2 from ****

Blueghost Before the days of S&L scandals, Enron, the Texas billionaire brothers manipulating the precious metals market, and the 2009 bailout of the largest and once most powerful financial institutions in the world by the United States government, Richard Quine helmed a screenplay adaptation of a play sending up corporate manipulation of share holders and deceiving the government by demanding contracts.A classic comic look look at how things haven't changed in the fifty some odd years since this film was made. Financial gamesmanship and political deceit are as old as pharaohs and kings. To paraphrase Richard Harris playing Oliver Cromwell from "Cromwell", "An immovable parliament is more obnoxious than an immovable king!"... or words to that effect."Solid Gold Cadillac" shows us this premise in spades, and gives us the gallant comedienne Judy Holliday sallying forth with womanly earnestness, by asking the most basic and fundamental questions; i.e. why do the boards of directors get paid so much? Her innocence and wide eyed (almost country girl like) innocence throws a monkey wrench into the antagonists' machinations.We are reminded of some of the pitfalls of automated private bureaucracy. And how if the average share holder (or voter as the case may be) doesn't follow the "Trust but verify" axiom, then they're in for a roller coaster ride as unethical executives play funny with their money.This is a smart light hearted comedy that plays to a more reserved audience. This isn't the "in your face" 90s nor 2000s. It's the reserved 1950s where sexual intrigue is understood, but not blatantly thrust in the face of the mainstream viewer. It's kind of refreshing.Although the film is a glimpse into the financial double-dealings of past 1950s America, it's a parable on how not to repeat history. Or, should history repeat itself, then fight it with a repeat of your own; get informed, organize, and take action by mobilizing the stock holders :-) Were this film made today, it would placate strictly to a female audience. It is in some sense a "chick flick" of a bygone era, but it's really more of couples' film.Some nice entertainment for a lazy afternoon.Enjoy :-)