Movie Review: It's Love I'm After (1937)
Synopsis: Henry Grant is in love with his fiancée, Marcia West. However, their relationship is put in jeopardy when the 20-year-old develops a crush on actor Basil Underwood. Hoping to correct the situation, Henry asks Underwood for help and, seeking to redeem himself for all the times he lied to and cheated on his own fiancée, Joyce Arden, Basil agrees to go Marcia's house and make her fall out of love with him by acting like a cad. However, as his attempts repeatedly fail, Underwood's loyalties to Joyce are tested when he realizes he is attracted to Marcia's unwavering devotion. Complicating matters is Joyce unexpectedly arriving to see Marcia in Basil's arms.
Who's in it? The movie stars Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Bette Davis, Patric Knowles, Eric Blore and Bonita Granville.
Review: While I like classic comedies, I usually avoid watching them first thing in the morning because I'm always afraid my brain won't be awake enough to catch the jokes. However, I made an exception this morning for It's Love I'm After mostly because of the recognizable names. Ultimately, it didn't matter when I watched it because this is a very funny film.
I've been married to my wife for 22 years and one little quirk she still has is she has a habit of forming fan girl crushes on various TV characters and the actors who play them. So, in a way, I could relate a bit to Henry (Knowles) when his fiancée Marcia (de Havilland) did the same thing. Only, in his case, it was with a stage actor that she could meet in person, and it was taken to a much larger extreme.
I think the thing that amused me most was how Basil (Howard) put on such an over-the-top performance, doing everything in his power to embarrass Marcia in front of her family and friends, while coming off as a complete ass only to have her fall even more in love with him, defend him against any deserved criticism and even go as far as to be willing to remove her birthmarks because he told her they were disgusting. I remember thinking about how some of that would make for a great thriller had de Havilland not been so damned funny in the process.
The fact Basil was starting to fall for Marcia added a little something extra. Despite the (also funny) back and forth love/hate relationship he had with Joyce (Davis), they were a great couple. However, it was unclear just how that relationship was going to survive once Joyce saw him kissing Marcia in the garden and she refused to believe his motives for being at Marcia's house a day after the 20-year-old was in his dressing room. Part of me even wondered if Joyce would somehow wind up with Henry.
The end of the film ended up being a lot more solid than I was expecting, especially since the movie had to accomplish a lot with very little runtime left. Even with such a limited amount of time, it managed to be funny but also provided some closure for both impacted relationships. In other words, it was a funny and romantic way to end the romantic comedy.
Final Opinion: This is a funny movie with an excellent cast and was just fun to watch. I may even insist on my wife watching it with me just so she can see the character that reminded me of her.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1937:
Movie Review: Murder at the Baskervilles (1937)
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