Such a frustrating disappointment

Just perfect...

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Graceless, unfunny, illogical, frustrating dumb movie. Ann Sheridan marries a 'Frenchman' after WWII and can't seem to get the bureaucracy to enable him to leave Europe to move to the States as her husband. War brides aplenty, the female war brides, of course had little problem being brought back in triumph by their US military husbands. War 'grooms', such as Mr. Grant, had a hard time of it. However, that is really neither here nor there. This movie is not very amusing, I found it silly, witless, and very disappointing considering the cast. Cary Grant is wonderful in anything, but he goes through much trial and trauma here. Ann Sheridan has about as graceful and romantic as an old, grizzled drill instructor. She is so bossy, mean, witless, and graceless on wonders WHY these two ever got married. As for the Male War Bride bit, there are about 10-15 slightly amusing minutes of Mr. Grant, looking ridiculous in a hideous wig and blouse and skirt. Haw haw. Disappointing, though apparently some love this movie and consider it a classic.

Grant plays a French officer who constantly bickers with Sheridan, a US WAC officer in immediate post-WWII Germany, but they fall in love, marry and want to leave for the US. But US army red tape proves a serious obstacle to their plans.I am about the biggest Hawks fan there is but this is somewhat one of his lesser efforts, compared to his other outings in the screwball genre (His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby, Monkey Business, Ball of Fire,....). It still is OK to watch, if not only for the rather unusual setting of a still bombedout and devastated Germany (but the Autobahns seem intact). The Germans in this movie all seem to be very nice by the way but mainly consisting of females or elderly people as the young (males) were likely all dead or in a prison camp.There is a long trip through Germany with a sidecar which leads to some slapstick and pratfalls. But then they fall in love, marry quickly and the main problem becomes then the US army red tape.Grant is funny of course but is not exactly convincing as a French captain as there is no French accent all : even when a US captain starts to talk French to him it looks as Grant doesn't even understand him. Also he seems waferthin in this movie as his uniform and later his civil clothes seems a bit too large for him. He suffers quite a lot through the film at the point you really start to feel sorry for him. His new wife also doesn't seem to care much.It ends well of course but only when Grant has been thoroughly humiliated and having to dress up as a woman.So not the best of Hawks&Grant movies. But there might be some external reason for this : both Sheridan, Grant and also director Hawks became seriously ill during filming. It might explain (partly) the minor end result. With their next collaboration, Monkey Business, they were again up to their usual par.

I doubt that any movie has gotten more amusement from sheer frustrations than this one. Poor Capt. Rochard (Grant). If he's not getting dumped by a sidecar, or trying to get the better of the resourceful Lt. Catherine, or having to fill out one more bureaucratic form (Sheridan), he's having to dress up as a woman and call himself a "war bride". It's just one frustrating embarrassment after another, all done in exquisitely humorous fashion as only Grant can bring off. But don't count out Sheridan. Together, they play off one another splendidly.So is it love or hate between them. She's always got a better idea than he, as together they try to locate a German scientist in post-war Europe. But, he's the captain—shouldn't he be the master of situations, not she. No wonder he wants to wring her lovely, domineering neck. But then he decides kissing it would be more agreeable, and thankfully she agrees. After all, he is Cary Grant. Now all they have to do to get a wedding night and get to America, is get past a blizzard of red tape. That means getting married three times to please post-war authorities; then fill out a ton of forms to please the same authorities; and then get a quick sex change for the poor French captain since only war brides are allowed to immigrate to the US. Talk about frustrations!It's a delightful service-based comedy filmed in post-war Europe, so we get a taste of conditions there, circa 1948. It's not really madcap, though director Hawks keeps things moving in his usual knowing style. Then too the three screenwriters have come up with a great script that needs little embellishment. I do have to say that maybe Hollywood's handsomest man makes one homely woman. Plus, you have to get past Grant's playing a Frenchman yet speaking perfect English, not much of a chore as it turns out. Anyway, I gather this is Grant's favorite comedy among the many of his brilliant career. And I can see why.

This screwball comedy is not one of Howard Hawks best films but it is still very watchable. Grant is the focus of the film and carries it pretty much alone as much as his carrying hidden stuff in his suitcase.While Grant did a lot of Comedy films of this nature, this one is the one where he is the center of this film. There are others where Grant is good too but since he is the center of this movie, it is his personal best.The sexual tension presented in this film is very much the type of tension that existed in the late 1940's but has changed much since then. Still this film is very good and runs on TCM on occasion.