For some reason or another, I'm none too hot on Rosalind Russell films. Oh, I "get" that she's one of the greatest comedic actresses ever, and I do like her, but to be honest none of her films are really favourites of mine. This was the case with "My Sister Eileen (1942)" a comedy revolving around two sisters, one an aspiring actress (Janet Blair) and one an aspiring writer (Russell), who come to New York with big hopes and dreams. But they find themselves stuck in a noisy flat, and Janet Blair's (the "Eileen" of the title) ditsy beauty invites the attentions of a succession of crazy male characters. I couldn't stand Eileen. Blair plays her well, and I don't mind the actress, it's just that Eileen is so incessantly annoying, putting poor Ros in one bad situation after the next. Even sisterly love wouldn't prevent me bitch-slapping her. The comedy is meant to flow from the crazy situations the gals find themselves in, but it just didn't work for me. Brian Aherne plays Ros's love interest, but really, why is she interested? He's bossy, has no comedic timing and she can't even get a word in edgeways! Ros sails through her role with ease, but the film falls flat as a classic comedy.
Review of My Sister Eileen
