It Started with Eve (1941)

Too simple?

Jonathan Jr. (Robert Cummings) is set to marry, but his father is dying and wants to meet his son's fiancée. He can't find her, assumes his father will be dead by morning, and substitutes the hatcheck girl, Anne (Deanna Durbin).

For whatever reason, Jonathan Sr. (Charles Laughton) doesn't die. Maybe Anne revitalizes him. But anyway, you know from the beginning that Jr. and Anne will end up together. His fiancée is never depicted as a bad woman, and if they were engaged to be married, you assume she and Jr. loved each other. I guess the only "bad" thing about her was that she's attached to her mother, which would, I grant, make the honeymoon awkward.

Laughton is fun as the old man, but this is a romantic comedy with little real comedy. If you wanted to push the limits of the plot, why not have Sr. fall in love with Anne? She does teach him to dance, after all, but the movie never goes there. All we're left with is the idea that maybe Sr. decided Anne was the right match for his son.

Deanna Durbin is lovely as ever, but after watching 5 or 6 of her films now, I get why reviewers call her movies "light entertainment." They really are kind of popcorn eating fluff, which is not to say they're horrible... they're just a little cookie cutter and ultimately not very memorable.

Rating: 2/5

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