One of many sophisticated, romantic, comedic trifles to emerge from the 1930's, this one has its merits, but is also fairly unremarkable. Crawford plays a petulant socialite who's tired of the inconsistent attention that her beau Montgomery pays to her. He has a well-deserved reputation as a ladies' man and she wants to be his only lady. On a bit of a whim, they marry and settle in peaceably, for a few moments. Before long, he, almost instinctively from years of doing so, is romancing his pal Ruggles' lady friend Patrick and standing up Crawford who's staying at the country home. When she finds out about his indiscretion, she sets out to teach him a lesson by inviting Ruggles, Montgomery's former flame Osborne, Osborne's former husband Tone, her current husband Treacher and even Patrick down for the weekend! (There's also a sizable sheepdog along for the ride.) Crawford uses Tone to make Montgomery jealous while he endures the presence of the various characters she's included in the mix. Presiding over everyone is Crawford's snappy, sassy aunt Oliver who rarely let's an incident go by without some bit of commentary. Crawford looks terrific in this film, all eyes and mouth and with striking Adrien gowns (though she does sport one icky set of bangs during one sequence.) Her performance contains a range of emotions from anger to tears to sarcasm, but it's a bit heavy for something this fluffy. Montgomery is properly charming, but plays a pretty unsympathetic character. He's a wolf. Ruggles' tipsy role will appeal or repel an equal number of people depending on their taste. Tone is given little to do but look dashing in a tuxedo and provide a dot of conflict with Montgomery. Patrick gives a knowing and secure portrayal, offering some needed carnality in this era of the Hayes code, which restricted what could be said and shown. Osborne and Treacher are amusing as a newly married, yet mismatched, couple. Really, the best thing about the film is snarky, wizened Oliver, who milks her role for every drop of humor, wit and presence it is capable of providing. Also popping up for a few seconds is Fontaine as one of Montgomery's jilted girlfriends. It's an attractive film with art deco-style sets and fancy clothes, but there's nothing particularly striking or memorable about it. These types of stories have been done many times and often in a more entertaining fashion, though it's also not a bad film. Fans of the stars, especially of Oliver, should enjoy it more than others.
Review of No More Ladies
