Screwball Dramedy?

Something interesting about My Man Godfrey that sets it apart from other screwball comedies, is the turn of events that comes near the end of the film. Everybody is crying, and not Carole-Lombard-as-Irene crying, but genuinely sad crying, touched by Godfrey's actions. The film almost gets a bit Capraesque. The change of tone seems a bit strange, but if you consider the film, the year it was released, and certainly the views on the current state of affairs at the time, I suppose it's not so strange. But, it kinda does get preachy. Not that it isn't deserved, it just isn't what I'd think you'd find in a screwball comedy.

This moral lesson you find in the film isn't something that has ever bothered me before, it still doesn't because I'm enjoying the film so much that I don't care if it's trying to get a message across to me. I'm involved. But, is this a true screwball comedy then? It's an interesting thought that I've been pondering on.

The film has all the pre-requisites, if you will, of all films in the genre. There are two leads who are opposites, there's a screwball heroine, there's a rapid pace throughout, there's witty dialogue, misunderstandings, the working class always outwitting the privileged. The only thing missing really is cross-dressing and perhaps slapstick pranks. But I think the Bullocks' behavior kind of outweighs the need for slapstick humor. In fact, the Bullocks are so ridiculous and their lives are completely hilarious, that that in itself qualifies it alone as a film of the genre. But in portraying the Bullocks, the film isn't just making fun of the upper class; this film is a criticism of the rich, their lifestyle, and the effects on the working-class, the poor.

There are probably several reasons why the writers/director chose to go this path of criticism, from the theme of the film to the audience. But whatever the reason, the film works, mostly because of the way they chose to tell the story. In Godfrey, there's a character who isn't just a forgotten man they happen to hire, as much as the Bullocks all believe it to be so, Godfrey happens to be just like them and was mistaken for a forgotten man. But what sets Godfrey apart is that he's completely bitter at the beginning of the film. He is disgusted by the scavenger hunt and lets everyone know. But he needs a job and when Irene offers him one, he takes it. This is when his transformation begins.

Godfrey doesn't explain until halfway through the film who he really is, and then later on, how he plans to help the dwellers of the city dump he was staying at in the beginning of the film. In these dwellers, he sees a determination to survive in spite of the odds. He sees hard-working people who all happen to be men in the film, but in reality, there were probably women and children there as well. What this film does is address the reality that everyone, especially film-goers, was facing at the time. And with it, the film sends out a message of hope.

When the Bullocks meet together near the end of the film, Alexander Bullock announces they're broke. Godfrey takes this opportunity to tell them that he basically saw the financial ruin coming and helped them out, all with the help of the pearl necklace Cornelia planted in his room in hope of getting him fired. Godfrey returns the necklace and delivers the stocks he bought from Bullock's company, and why? Because he wanted to help them the same way they helped him too. He learned a lot from them. He then continues with what he's learned from each of them and by the end of the speech, everyone is crying. The only thing that saves this scene is Alice Brady, who doesn't just have great lines, but delivers them impeccably. And by save, I mean save it from getting depressing or worse, completely leaving you with mixed feelings.

I must say that this speech changes the tone completely. I think part of what makes a screwball comedy is that you do have these stereotypical characters, and to watch them become human, it kinda takes you away from the whole flightiness of the film and makes it very real. I suspect the writers felt they needed to bring it down to reality, but they did so in a way in which, thanks to Angelica Bullock and her high-pitched voice, there's still some humor to it. The film would probably still work without the whole save-the-Bullocks subplot, but I suppose it makes Godfrey more real, more likable, more human.

So is My Man Godfrey a screwball comedy? Could it be a screwball dramedy instead? I think, the film is a straight screwball comedy, but then it throws you for a curveball at the end when you hear Godfrey's speech. You can call it whatever you want really. It's not a typical film of the genre, but I suppose part of the charm of screwballs is that anything can happen. The best thing that is done is that it ends in such a screwy way that leaves you laughing. The pace is quickened once again and before you know it, Godfrey and Irene are about to say "I do." So does it matter that the film gets preachy? Not really, because it's a fantastic film that you'll want to watch over and over again.