So what exactly sets this film apart? For one, as I've mentioned before, Cary Grant. There's nothing more enjoyable in this film than watching Grant antagonize Dunne in scene after scene as she's trying to show him she's moved on. A lot of it is that he's simply a grown-up child, and not like the grown man children you see nowadays on the screen. Grant acts like a school boy but at the same time is desirable. You can't help but like him, root for him that he'll end up back with Dunne. And Dunne herself shows to be a perfect match for Grant. She's able to keep her demeanor as Lucy at just the right balance up against Grant's ever screwy Jerry. It's really a no-brainer that your two leads need to have chemistry, but it's more than that. The leads have to be able to pull off their performances in a convincing way. Again, McCarey really was able to get these performances by forcing the actors to improvise and in turn, they went through the scenes so naturally. Best of all, they look like they're having fun and you have fun watching them.
Another important factor for the genre is the tone. There's no mistaking what kind of film this will be from the beginning just from the way Grant enters the scene and starts talking. There's something about the way he delivers his lines that set him apart. He's able, just from the tone of his voice, to let you know that the next couple of hours are gonna be laugh, so sit back and enjoy. From the club, you head straight to the Warriners' home and there you find one unexpected event after another. Starting with Lucy not being home waiting for Jerry, the scene grows into a huge embarrassing moment for Jerry, who the whole time was so "concerned" about embarrassing Lucy if he showed up without a Florida tan. But really it's Grant who makes the scene by giving lines like, "the road to Reno is paved with suspicion." When Lucy finally appears, we get to see the pretenses that eventually turn into a fun bit of banter that leads to a declaration of divorce. And it all happens in the first ten minutes. Not only does the film move at a quick pace, but you're laughing the whole time and enjoying it.
Dialogue in this film is top-notch. The interesting thing is that in the script, there were some funny lines, but the funniest lines weren't conceived until shooting occurred I presume. Even though the copy of the script I read stated it was the final draft, it worked more like an earlier draft with none of the best lines in there. "The road to Reno" line is actually included in a different scene in the script, near the end at the Vances'. The change to include it in the opening sequence of the film is much better and sets the tone of the film as well. Right there we know the film is gonna be about how a marriage heading for divorce due to suspicion, but here it's a much more comical approach. And once again, Grant has the best line here: "How can you be glad to know me?" and "How can you know what it's like to use up the best years of a woman's life?" And while they might not seem that funny on paper, well it's because you have to see him deliver them. From facial expression to his voice, Grant sells these lines with an ebullient, although mischievous, performance.
There's also the strong supporting cast. Ralph Bellamy is silly as the farm boy from Oklahoma, who simply can't carry a tune and is apparently so naïve when it comes to women. He's the guy you know the leading lady will be better off with in the sense that he'll love her and never do wrong by her, but you also know that life with him will be absolutely boring--if you get bored in Oklahoma City, you can always go visit Tulsa! Now Cecil Cunningham as Aunt Patsy is the forerunner of what we now know as the leading lady's best friend; she's always smarter and one step ahead of the leading lady, and desperate to just go out and have her fun. Watching Cunningham is a lot of fun, especially because she's older and it's always fun to see older women still having spirit left in them. Esther Dale as Bellamy's mother and Alexander D'Arcy as Armand the music teacher also give fine performances, but you can't forget Asta. As Mr Smith, Asta plays the substitute child for the Warriners, and he's just adorable and too smart for his own good. It's obvious the actors had fun working with him. And what this entire cast does is exactly what a supporting cast is supposed to do and support the two leads by bringing quirk and fun into their performances, doing their part, but not too much so or too little that you get distracted. They deliver fine performances that enhance the story and allow you to root for the main couple.
Overall, The Awful Truth gives us a wonderful performance from Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, although this is more of Grant's film if anything. He truly makes this film by setting the tone and enhancing the dialogue. And while the ending doesn't turn out to be the big wonderful ending I was hoping for, it eventually grew on me. Mostly though, it was really genius of Leo McCarey to use an improvisational approach in making this film. It wasn't just Grant and Dunne, but the entire cast was able to really deliver a great film that is surely one of the best screwball comedies of them all.
No comments:
Post a Comment