Brilliant and touching

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Blistering performances.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Pat O'Brien and Irene Dunne seem distinctly not made for each other in this odd romance, where she, a coffee shop proprietress, and he, a sports writer, are jilted by their respective fiances, meet cute, get a nice friendship going, and decide to get married. The open-marriage conceit feels daringly modern for 1931, but the dialog's pat and the plot coincidences are hard to swallow. Their respective true loves, Myrna Loy and Lester Vail, each come back from failed marriages at about the same time, and Dunne and O'Brien each leaves his/her spouse to pick up the pieces. It's hard to see why, when Loy is playing such a vain bore, and Vail such a needy weakling, and Dunne has an uncomfortable speech where she says goodbye to her baby daughter--her baby daughter!--to run off with an old lover. We all know the leads are going to discover they really love each other, but it's done so perfunctorily, with O'Brien just remarking to Loy, "Wouldn't it be funny if we turned out to be just friends?" and bolting upstairs to Dunne just in time for the happy fadeout. That's another thing--she can't make a great deal of money running a coffee shop, and he's unemployed more often than not, yet they have a gorgeous New York townhouse. Dunne's skill is somewhat evident, and O'Brien's fast talk is always entertaining, but he's not an ideal romantic lead, and this is not a credible romance.

The so-called "Pre-Code" films were made up to about 1935 and were called this because although Hollywood DID have a long list of standards, they were pretty much ignored until an updated Production Code was adopted. These Pre-Code films were some times VERY racy and not at all what the average person these days thinks these early films were like, as some included nudity, foul language, racy topics and violence! While CONSOLATION MARRIAGE was made in this era and has SOME elements that would not have been allowed had it been made just a few years later, it is a relatively benign film--with no nudity or violence. Instead, its main plot line would NOT have been acceptable, as it concerns a marriage of convenience that is essentially an "open marriage". If either partner became dissatisfied or found someone else, then they both agreed the marriage was over and it was okay to leave! This rather selfish or amoral view of marriage NEVER would have appeared in films during the next several decades! This strange marriage contract, it seems, resulted from BOTH Pat O'Brien and Irene Dunne being dumped by their respective fiancés. So, out of loneliness, they were drawn together--at least until something better came along! And, later, BOTH Dunne's and O'Brien's old flames return and want them! And, at this point the couple have a choice to make--leave or stick around. This is further complicated by the fact that they now have a baby! How this whole thing is sorted out is, despite it being Pre-Code, rather conventional and predictable--as well as overly long and a tad dull. That's because this type of plot was, believe it or not, often copied! I have seen several very similar movies involving open marriages in the early 1930s and in each case, the film ends EXACTLY where you'd expect. Because of this derivative nature, it is a very skip-able film--especially if you've seen others like it.FYI--It's interesting to see that in this film Myrna Loy is a blonde!

One of Irene Dunne's earliest features (before "Back Street" would make her a star) rewards a second look in a time of heated discussions on the sanctity of marriage.Mary Brown and Steve Porter, both jilted by their longtime sweethearts, meet up and hit it off, based as much on their mutual melancholy as anything else. On a whim, Steve proposes marriage to Mary, while acknowledging that their hearts will always belong to others. They decide their marriage will be based on their friendship alone, and each will be free to walk away at any time with no regrets.It is, of course, inevitable that the original sweethearts will each turn up and test Steve and Mary's resolve. But what is most striking to me is that midway through their marriage Mary gives birth to a baby girl. Yes, of course, this film was made pre-Code, but nonetheless it's remarkable that it would be acknowledged that these friends in a marriage of nothing but convenience would have a sexual relationship as well. The pregnancy and birth aren't even a very big deal, and Mary's and Steve's open marriage agreement continues. There is even a suggestion that the existence of the child should be no impediment to either of the spouses' decision to go his or her own way.Of course, there's a happy ending, so the point is made moot. But it's having been made at all is what makes this film, to me, a little bit more than simply a run-of-the-mill Hollywood melodrama.

Although the first ten minutes of the film are a trial, relishing as it does the cacophony of early films, the sheer bravado of Pat O'Brien and the iridescent charm of Irene Dunne soon make up for the horror of Myrna Loy, as stiff and plastic as her hairdo, and John Halliday, as a weak, chinless cretin musician. Once these two are left behind, the screenplay transcends its material and the dialogue and wit are as illuminating as the key lighting. The interaction between Dunne and O'Brien is what people mean when they say: "They don't make movies like this anymore." The two simply become more than the sum of their parts.Discussing the ending would be akin to drowning a kitten. Suffice it to say that this is soap opera at its best and once the two weak sisters re-appear and disappear, we are left with an ending that allows us to feel morally uplifted. The material is dated but the inter-action between these two beginning stars of yesteryear makes up for any weaknesses. To fault the film for its age is simply ridiculous and makes such critics even less aware of just how good Hollywood films once were -- crowsfeet and all.