I wanted to but couldn't!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"Bachelor Apartmet" suffers from some rough edits, however those may be the fault of the DVD print I saw (a Spanish copy), so I won't judge Lowell Sherman's direction on that front. But as an actor, he is miscast as a ladies' man; in the silent era perhaps yes, but in 1931 he was 46 years old, his looks were average, and the character he plays has a smarmy demeanor (just because William Powell could pull it off well into his fifties, does not mean that everyone else could). Irene Dunne, with the exception of a single scene, has a dull straight role; Charles Coleman (the butler) and Mae Murray (she has a hearty laugh) fare better. The film is predictable, and any pre-code quotient will NOT get your heart pumping, ** out of 4.

I just love the LOOK of the movies of the 30's, that is, the movies celebrating the lifestyles of the giddy rich. The clothes, the decor, the cars, the swank living quarters. The plot has already been discussed here, I came to comment about Mae Murray (age 42?? she looks adorable!). I am reminded of the back story of the comic strip that has been around forever - "Blondie" - who was a flapper who married Dagwood way back in the 20's, thereby prompting his wealthy family to cut him off and condemn him to working for a living unto this day. Mae Murray looks exactly like "Blondie" might have looked, in her wild youth, before she became domesticated ! A creaky movie, but worth a look. The 'playboy' is rather silly, it's the women and the look of the film I enjoy.

I didn't expect much from this film when I first saw it, not knowing who Lowell Sherman was and figuring it would be extremely dated.I found out the film provided some good laughs, some clever sarcastic dialog, realistic characters and a certain charm at the same time.Sherman might have been a bit too old to be playing the role of playboy but he carried it off, being enjoyable to watch. It was fun seeing such a young Irene Dunne, too, complete with the early '30s short hairstyle. Unlike most of the women pictured in this film, Dunne played her typical high-principled character, reflecting the classy lady she was off screen, too.

Another of the movies I would not think of watching but for Irene Dunne, playing anything but swank comedy here. It consists of basically two types of characters. One is ladies in lingerie or revealing gowns. (Dunne wears neither but at one point we see her in her boss's bathrobe.) The other is gentlemen who appear to prefer other gentlemen.One of these is its director and star, Lowell Sherman. He had a solid hand as a director and is likable as a performer. But he's a little hard to buy as a ladies' man. And in one scene, he goes to a friend's apartment, demanding to see who's in the bedroom. Instead of the woman he's looking for, two men are there. They're fully clothed and maybe the audience at the time thought they were sleeping off hangovers. Maybe that's what the script meant, for all I know. But it's not the way they come across in the context of the movie.The print I saw was fuzzy but it's chic and entertaining -- dated but also risqué.