Such a frustrating disappointment

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Good idea lost in the noise

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

This is such a delightful movie. Myrna Loy and William Powell are a perfect couple, each of them so endearing, and their banter is as sharp, witty, and alive today as it was in 1936. I was continually tickled by them throughout the movie, as he contends with her aristocratic and stuffy family, she playfully comments on his saltier acquaintances, and together they find themselves trying to unravel a murder mystery. As an added bonus, we get to see Jimmy Stewart in one of his earlier roles, and cute dog tricks provided by Asta. Oh, and in a brief scene, check out the woman dancing amidst a wild party they come home to – I loved these little touches.The shots of San Francisco and various sets are beautiful, the attire is gorgeous, and the script is strong, which resulted in screenwriters Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett being nominated for an Oscar. Pulling all of the suspects together at the end is a little formulaic and it gets somewhat complicated to understand all of the motives and actions, but it keeps you guessing and the final 'whodunit' is clear. Movies that try to do it all, having elements of comedy, mystery, romance, drama, and song and dance, are often weaker as a result – but here the entire package is quite satisfying. This was the second movie in what would be six total in this series, but it stands on its own and while watching it, you can understand why it was so popular. The murder mystery gets a little glib but still merits eight stars, and Loy and Powell are compelling and warrant nine, so I round up on the overall rating.

This Thin Man Sequel keeps together Nick & Nora Charles, and punishes their dog Asta with a Mrs. Asta who is fooling with the neighbors dog in a show of puppy love cheating. That is the price the dog pays for running around with the Charles.This one picks up where the first movie left off with the couple coming back home to the west coast after solving an east coast murder before. This time there are several murders and Nick Charles starts off as a suspect. What is interesting is how Powell and Loy get into the mix with James Stewart here in his 11th film. Stewart is not yet a star here, but he is a defined character who is not in his usual role. Considering it would be another 3 years before Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Jimmy success took some molding yet. Here with Powell and Loy, he is defined as a supporting player. While his character is a little bit crazy compared to other film roles later, he brings it off very well. He is even given a love interest in this film which does not happen for minor roles that often. The love is poison to his character, and that is a part of the fabric that makes this movie a cut above many sequels.

The Thin Man is quite well-known and launched a further five sequels, of which this was the first. I've not seen any of these on TV and I've just bought The Thin Man Collection.Two years after The Thin Man we see the sleuthing married couple, the debonair William Powell and beguiling Myrna Loy, plus dog, Asta take on a new case that involves an early prominent role for James Stewart. There's murder, family disputes and shoot-outs but if you're like me, it's not the actual sleuthing and case that makes these delightful movies, but the interplay of the couple and their social interaction that make them tick and so utterly enjoyable.The chemistry between the two is still there, very much and beautifully done, but perhaps less intense than the original movie and Asta is again very much a feature. There's the odd tipple, or two, with Powell displaying his trademark excellence as the happy and oh-so obliging drunk.At over 100 minutes it's quite a bit longer than the original and this is taken up by the detective work but if you like this sort of nostalgic old silver screen movie, you will hardly notice, let alone mind. The transfer - on the source mentioned - and could well be the same on all releases - is good to very good, without much flicker or scratches and mixes that old silver screen luminescence with fair detail. It's directed again, by W S Van Dyke.The original is a superb film that remains a favourite of mine, though I am about half the age of these movies and so they are a newly acquired cinematic find. After the Thin Man is a very fine sequel but which cannot quite reach the heights of the sparkling original, but sure comes close.

The first Thin Man movie was based on a novel written by Dashiell Hammett, which might explain why it was zingier and zestier than this, its first sequel, which was written by Hammett specifically for the movie. Oh there's still plenty to like about the movie - William Powell and Myrna Loy are still a wonderfully banter-ful couple, and the dog Asta is one of the cutest screen pets still, but the movie drags in some scenes, and it just lacks the freshness of the first.This is one of James Stewart's pre-fame roles but I think it must've helped jump-start his career. He plays it bland through most of the movie but whoah, in the last scene he gives a dramatic performance that's almost too intense for a comedy.