The film epitomizes the type of characters which made of Gable and Lombard, not much later, the shining stars which they were not really yet : him, as a natural and straight-talking - though not truth-talking... - charmer; her, as an equally natural and charming straight-talker, but as well a very sharp mind. On my left side Gable as seasoned professional gambler and cheater Babe Stewart, based in New York. On my right side Lombard as Connie Randall, a bored but world-ignorant librarian who never went out of her backwater small town. He seems to have all the weapons against her in this story. But in the end these weapons count for nothing : not only is she, unexpectedly, much smarter than what he thought; more importantly, she knows quite well what she wants, while he, a supposedly tough cookie, is something of a butterfly who does not look much further than the next flower to flutter to. While the result of the shock of their unaligned world views might appear a little far-fetched - this is a pure comedy, and a good one at that, therefore realism is not part of its program -, it is actually quite logical.
Connie is an interesting and somewhat unusual character. She has got a firm moral compass, without ever being judgmental or preachy - which in the end, though she never appears as calculating or manipulative, is by far the best if not the only effective approach to reach her ends. And she is served by an unflinching confidence both in herself and the seemingly unworthy man she has fallen for - even though it might appear quite a risky bet. Well, how many young women in those days - in any days, actually - would have felt self-confident enough to offer marriage to a slightly too seductive and sleek stranger, based on the outcome of tossing a coin, after just a few days' acquaintance with him? Usually, this kind of trick would rather be for the sleek stranger to use...
Witty dialogue, snappy direction from Wesley Ruggles and top-notch acting - probably the first real occasion for Lombard to exhibit the full range of her talent - are the ingredients of a very successful brew, though definitely on the bright and light side of life.
It is strongly ironic, though, that a film story based on love-at-first-sight (on the woman's side at least) became the occasion for the meeting of a future mythical couple, Lombard and Gable - as what was actually taking place off-screen was apparently so far from the immediate mutual alchemy so convincingly shown between them on screen.
In the end, there are basically only two kinds of plots for fictional romantic stories : either immediate love, to be followed later on by challenging obstacles, as in this film and so many other ones; or, on the contrary, immediate and intense dislike between future lovers, only to be transformed "naturally" (in films), sooner or later, into passion.
Like so many other classic Hollywood films, the script of Gable and Lombard's own love story definitely fitted into the second category, not the first one...
Review of No Man of Her Own
