H.M. Pulham, Esq. was marketed as a comedy about a second chance at love, but I waited the entire running length for the jokes and romance to start. It's actually quite depressing. Robert Young, all grayed up at the start of the movie, gets invited to his twenty-five year class reunion, and he starts down the painful road of memory lane. In flashbacks, we get to see his romance with Hedy Lamaar, his friendship with Van Heflin, and his difficult relationship with his father, Charles Coburn.
The other problem, besides the false synopsis, is I'm not sure whether the audience is supposed to think Robert and Hedy were meant to be and should have a second chance at the reunion, or that they weren't very well suited and that Robert made the right choice in marrying Ruth Hussey. The script flips back and forth between the two tones, and the end of the film leaves only confusion and dissatisfaction.
The other problem, besides the false synopsis, is I'm not sure whether the audience is supposed to think Robert and Hedy were meant to be and should have a second chance at the reunion, or that they weren't very well suited and that Robert made the right choice in marrying Ruth Hussey. The script flips back and forth between the two tones, and the end of the film leaves only confusion and dissatisfaction.