The Awful Truth (1937)
US 90m, B&W
Director: Leo McCarey; Cast: Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy, Alexander D’Arcy, Cecil Cunningham
The Awful Truth is a screwball romantic comedy about a couple who are awaiting their divorce to be finalized. During the official proceedings, their only bone of contention with one another is custody of their energetic terrier. Due to unlikely circumstances which keep bringing them together, they attempt to sabotage each other’s fledgling relationships, knowing that each still is in love with the other. While there is never any real doubt as to the outcome of this movie, the fast paced and clever dialogue and Grant’s performance, carry this simple and cheerful comedy (Klaus Ming April 2013).
3 comments on “The Awful Truth (1937)”
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In the pantheon of great divorce comedies, it’s a notch below the Philadelphia Story and His Girl Friday, but it’s no disgrace to be below those two. I haven’t seen this recently, but I always enjoy it when I see it.
I did a blog post where I talked about writing about courtship versus writing about marriage, and how the divorce comedies managed to bring together strong elements from both types of stories:
http://u-town.com/collins/?p=3573
This is a film that makes me laugh out loud everytime. The scene where Cary Grant wrestles with a chair and the one when Irene Dunne sings “Gone with the Wind” are priceless.
This tops the category of screwball comedies for me. The Awful Truth is funny and intelligent and comes with priceless dialogue.