Movie Review: I Married a Witch (1942)

Synopsis: Prior to being executed for withcraft in 1672, Jennifer puts a curse on her accuser that will prevent him and his descendents from being lucky in love. When her spirit is freed after more than two centuries, she meets the latest descendent, engaged gubernatorial candidate, Wallace Wooley, and tries to make him fall in love with her the day of his wedding only to have her spell backfire and make her love fall in love with him instead.

Who's in it? The movie stars Veronica Lake, Fredric March, Robert Benchley, Susan Hayward and Elizabeth Patterson.

Review: I came across this movie a few days ago and added it to my library. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it when I finally took the time to watch it this morning but it turned out to be a fun and entertaining film.

There are a couple things that really stood out for me when it came to this film. One of the main ones was the wonderful way Veronica Lake played her witch character with a happy balance between being beautiful and seductive yet still a bit quirky and naive. Even though she had an ulterior motive for pursuing Wallace (March), it was still easy to root for her.

The film also proved to be a lot less predictable than I thought it would be. Most romantic comedies follow pretty much the same format and, as a result, it is easy to figure out what will happen and how they will end. In comparison, when I was watching this movie, I really had no idea of what was going to happen next. It was obvious he wasn't meant to be with his betrothed because of the curse but, at the same time, it was unclear how he would end up with Jennifer without it having a negative impact on his life and political career. Plus, if he did end up with Jennifer, it was only a matter of time before he realized what she really was. 

Another thing I liked about this movie was the way his fiancee, Estelle (Hayward) was portrayed. Yes, she was a little stuck up and spoiled but, at the same time, I didn't dislike her. There were times when she seemed to truly care for him and, at minimum, I don't think she did anything that would make her deserve being left at the alter.

I was a bit undecided about Jennifer's father (Cecil Kellaway). He ends up being a bit of a wildcard toward the end of the film, adding a little extra suspense but, prior to that, he just seemed to be a bit unnecessary. The movie could have waited until toward the very end to introduce him and it would have been basically the same film.

Final Opinion: I didn't think I would enjoy this movie at first but it turned out to be an entertaining romantic comedy. It's a film I both enjoyed and would watch again.

My Grade: A