Wonderfully offbeat film!

Excellent, smart action film.

Excellent, a Must See

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Misfire MGM comedy that might have worked better with two different leads. Rich brat Joan Crawford meets archaeologist Brian Aherne. Brian's got a thing against rich people so Joan lies and says she's a secretary. Later when he finds out the truth, sparks fly and they yell a lot. But oh those clever writers -- turns out they're just yelling because they're in love. Well they must love each other to the depths of their souls because there's a lot of yelling and fighting in this. It gets worse. The rich people are on the verge of losing everything. So, instead of getting jobs they decide to whore Joan out and force her to marry a rich guy. Anyway, it's all rather unpleasant and not the least bit funny. I didn't really like anybody and the romance was completely forced as Crawford and Aherne had no chemistry.

Tall, dull and handsome Brian Aherne is no match for Joan Crawford in this tepid, loose screwball that never catches fire. Trouper Crawford looks fit and trim riding a donkey backwards as well as stunning in a form fitting wedding gown but Aherne's Terry lacks the male intensity to parry with Joan for the film to balance properly making it a rather lopsided and unsatisfying affair. The only , albeit brief, moments of humor belong to two of the best go to servants in film history, Arthur Treacher and Eric Blore. Spoiled little rich girl Kay Bentley literally falls into an archaeological dig in Greece where she meets Terry O'Neil who is at first annoyed but soon bewitched by Kay. He pursues her back to the states and the two begin a romantically abrasive relationship that continues right up to the altar.As the entitled and rebellious Kay, Crawford's character is given little to work with and undeveloped while Aherne's thick headed and socially inept Irishman is an insensitive but then as now acceptable stereotype. He may have a doctorate but he's Irish and lack of decorum in polite society is to be expected. Support wise, Frank Morgan does his usual dithering and calming influence Aline MacMahon lends council in a typical day's work for both but like the rest of the cast fail to put any life into this formless formulaic that limps along rather than stride.

The worst thing about this film is the title! I often feel the title can make or break a film, and if this was named something a little less clunky and serious, it probably would get more respect and be a classic comedy. This is not a "great" movie, but that doesn't lessen the entertainment factor, which is, often enough, the reason we watch a film more than once. I have no problem with either Joan Crawford or Brian Aherne in the leads. They are both charming and lend the perfect role of sarcastic flirtatiousness called for. If one needs a serious theme to enjoy a film, there is a peripheral theme of class-consciousness. One of the film's highlights is the chemistry between Crawford and Frank Morgan, who plays her father; that's precious stuff. It's easy to praise Arthur Treacher, Jessie Ralph and Eric Blore. But how about Sterling Holloway in a small but memorable role as Aherne's assistant at the archaeological dig? Aline MacMahon, Frank Conroy, all these character actors insure the acting level is high throughout. My only regret is that Granville Bates, the yacht captain, didn't have a more substantial role. From what I've seen of him in My Favorite Wife, I'd say he was brilliant, too. I love these glossy black-and-white early '30s MGM films.

Talented writer (and later director) Joe Mankiewicz wrote a decent early screwball comedy script with I LIVE MY LIFE, one that in some ways anticipated the much better MY MAN GODFREY of a year later. It meanders a bit, is repetitious and ultimately tedious, but with Clark Gable and Myrna Loy it might have worked.Joan Crawford didn't have the light touch or resourcefulness needed to make the contrived comedy reversals of this story come to life. The result is that a movie whose script suggests a frothy romp becomes a very strained love story with failed comic overtones. Brian Aherne is tall, handsome, gallant and completely believable as an academic trying to learn how to unwind, rather like Cary Grant in BRINGING UP BABY three years later. Unlike Grant, he hadn't the gifts of comic timing or of charm -- there is something cranky and grudging about him, and maybe this kept him from becoming a star despite his good looks.But this was a Joan Crawford vehicle, it was tailored for her, and it was she who was expected to carry it. As usual, the broad, strong face is as striking as a Modigliani sculpture but less expressive. Adrian, the great MGM designer so closely associated with her, is largely responsible for providing the illusion of presence and magnetism which Crawford didn't actually have. In this picture he gives her one of her most extreme and frankly ludicrous costumes, and in upstaging her, it exposes the essential flaw in their professional relationship.Adrian had wit as a designer and his costumes here are all amusing comments on Crawford's character, but they expose rather than enhance her. The worst example seems meant to be a literal suit of armor since Crawford wears it in a scene in which her defensive, self-conscious character realizes she loves Aherne but must give him up in order to save her father from financial reversals. It's rendered in what looks like silver lame, with gigantic panels that fit over each shoulder, open on the sides but completely obscuring her arms from the front -- an armless Athena ready for battle. Less awful but still attention-getting are a series of black suits and dresses which are cluttered with enormous starched white collars and bibs or exploding swags of stiff material suggesting stylized nun's habits. In contrast, two simple costumes are far less theatrical but more effective in letting us examine Crawford: A backless, halter neck sailor suit is playful and sexy when she wears it without a bra in her first scene. And much later a starkly elegant white satin dressing gown proves to be more beautiful and glamorous than the two wedding gowns she also wears, the second of which uses tiers of orange blossoms to cover up damage her spoiled heiress has done to it. The two pared-down costumes at least allow us to observe the actress and woman for ourselves to decide what we think of her. Little was required of Crawford in this period and she gave very little in return. And we have to wonder if Adrian tried to hide this or was in fact the cause of it: Why should Crawford have learned to feel and act when her collars and sleeves upstaged her in every scene anyway?