This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Before this one, the only previous Andy Hardy movie I'd watched in its entirety was Love Finds Andy Hardy-the first one to feature Judy Garland. The main reason I just watched this one was because since I've just watched most of the Our Gang comedies in chronological order, I had a yen to also watch many of the films outside the series that had at least one member in it as this one has Bobby "Mickey Gubitosi" Blake as a kid with a broken arm named Tooky. There's also some funny scenes involving Esther Williams in her film debut as a practicing psychiatrist who's a friend staying at Andy's on-off girlfriend Polly Benedict's house. Having just seen and liked Ann Rutherford in Whistling in Dixie, I liked her here as well. There are some touching scenes involving some talk between Andy and his father the judge. Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone have a natural rapport which shouldn't be too surprising since they have been together in this series for so long in so many entries. So on that note, Andy Hardy's Double Life was a worthy entry for me.

I agree with the other reviewers,Its not the best in the series,but still is fun to watch.If you have any partiality towards Andy Hardy,it's still a must see.It feels like a continuation from the previous movie "The Courtship Of Andy Hardy". There is Andy getting ready to go to college,plus another subplot involving one of the Judges court cases.And as usual, girl trouble.And what Girls they are!I am in love with both Esther Williams and Ann Rutherford in this one.Both are very beautiful,and the HD version of this flick I saw,brings their beauty more to life.I very much enjoyed it.Although in HD it can tell Andy has a cut lip in some scenes,and not in others.I mean it was as clear as day.I wonder what that was all about.Has to be some back story to that somewhere.

Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Andy (Mickey Rooney) is about to head off to college but he's got a few things to take care of before leaving. For starters, he must try and sell his junk car for $20 to pay for a bill and he must convince his father (Lewis Stone) not to go with him to college. Worst of all is that Polly (Ann Rutherford) wants to make up but her best friend (Ester Williams) decides to give Andy a test. Number thirteen in the series isn't the greatest movie ever made and it's not even a good one but there's enough innocent charm to make it worth viewing. I'd probably put this towards the middle of the series as it's not even close to some of the better entries but there's no denying we get some very funny moments but at the same time, the screenplay offers up some weak stuff. The one sequence that really didn't work for me was an attempt at comedy when mom was trying to sleep in but people keep ringing the door bell. The comedy they were going for here just seemed rather weak and it didn't make me laugh. Some of the film's better moments, of course, happen when Andy must turn to his father and try to get advice on his life, which he just can't understand. I thought it was rather funny that Andy also gets to teach his dad a few things, which was a nice change of events. We also get a side plot about a case Judge is working on as it involves an injured boy and his broke mother. It goes without saying by Rooney and Lewis are at the top of their game and both men turn in very good performances. By this time both were so comfortable in their roles that there isn't a false step anywhere. Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker and Sara Haden are all good as the family. Rutherford gets a slightly bigger than normal part, which is good as she too is delightful. The real standout is Williams. There's no question that she's the highlight of the film and especially the sequence with her and Rooney "test" kissing by the pool. This entire pool sequence is classic Hardy stuff and makes the film worth sitting through.

I must admit that aqua-fem Esther certainly made a big "splash" in this, her film debut. I can certainly understand how she's able to turn Andy into mush with her charm assault and why he prefers her company to plain old Polly, who looks pretty pedestrian in comparison to Esther's ethereal (yet s-e-x-y!) beauty.