Love Crazy
Love Crazy
| 23 May 1941 (USA)
Love Crazy Trailers

Circumstance, an old flame and a mother-in-law drive a happily married couple to the verge of divorce and insanity.

Reviews
Majorthebys

Charming and brutal

... View More
WillSushyMedia

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

... View More
Fairaher

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

... View More
Gurlyndrobb

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

... View More
mmallon4

I believe every great actor should have at least one movie in which they get to go completely over the top and out of character (Barrymore in Twentieth Century, Howard in Its Love I'm After, Bogart in Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Stewart in Vertigo). For William Powell, Love Crazy provided him with his opportunity in easily the most slapstick oriented comedy ether Powell or Myrna Loy ever done; from heads being stuck in elevator doors to characters slipping on the same mat several times throughout the film. It's not John Barrymore levels of over the top but compared to William Powell's usual soft spoken persona it's pretty over the top.Love Crazy is the William Powell show all the way, showcasing the complete range of his abilities as a comedic actor in a plot which is like a tabloid newspaper story turned into a screwball comedy; a jokey representation of mental illness which wouldn't be politically correct by today's standards. All the more fun then! One of the scenes from any film Powell has appeared which I feel best demonstrates his comedic timing is when he is tasked with convincing a lunacy commission of his sanity by placing shaped blocks into their corresponding holes. It's such a basic task yet his overzealous confidence he still manages to convincingly screw it up; it works on so many levels. Yet as the film progresses, I end up feeling particularly sorry for his character due to his failed marriage.But not to undo Myrna Loy with her stand out moment being a surprisingly erotic scene with Jack Carson in which both of them are bare shouldered. On top of that I find myself in awe that there is a straight up dick joke in this movie ("He has to have his torso free when he shoots his bow and arrow"). Of all the sneaky jokes they got past the censors I've heard in screwball comedies this is one of the most unsubtle. Likewise Gail Patrick who plays Powell's former girlfriend appears to be a bit of a nymphomaniac; badly wanting him shortly after meeting for the first time in years despite both of them now being married, not to mention it's his anniversary night! Just listen as the seductively tells Powell "Stevie I'm bored!". There's quite a bit of setting up in Love Crazy but the payoffs are worth it. Love Crazy also gets a big boost from the apartment sets designed by Cedric Gibbons. The painted backdrops of skyscrapers high in the sky and the art deco shading, it's beautiful.I managed to go into Love Crazy unaware of the screwball hijinks which occur during the third act. If it's not too late for you, I recommend doing the same. You'll be left in a state of disbelief that what occurs on screen is really happening.

... View More
vincentlynch-moonoi

I think many of us love the Thin Man series -- the sophisticated humor with the mysteries really worked well. But I actually prefer this film because the unparalleled chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy is still there, but the story line gives William Powell an opportunity to be silly -- and I mean really silly -- and even do a little slapstick...the type of role we rarely saw him in. Not to mention -- how many times have you seen him in drag? It's delightful.The story involves an anniversary night that goes all wrong, ending up with the wife (Loy) leaving the husband (Powell) over misunderstandings and some bad judgment on both parts. Powell and his lawyer come up with a solution -- act crazy to delay the divorce...but that works all too well, and Powell is committed. How he gets out, and what he goes through while in and after escaping, is where most of the belly laughs lie.Florence Bates plays the mother-in-law from...well, not quite hell...but close to it. She was always a hoot. Jack Carson falls into being the other man; an annoying role at first, but it grew on me.Highly recommended!

... View More
mountainstonePT

A terribly written film, obviously milking the Powell/ Loy magic long after it was gone. Don't waste your time. An unfunny movie. Not even clever.While the Thin Man and subsequent sequels were clever, by 41 it seems they should have killed this pairing. Bad scripting showed along with half hearted acting that they were only in it for the money. While the movie was not specifically a Thin Man film, the plot was pulling from it, and the insanity plea for the divorce was really lame, probably even by those standards. I found the movie boring and distasteful. Couldn't wait for it to end. You'll do yourself a favor passing on it.

... View More
sagreenberg

As a big fan of The Thin Man movies, I really wanted to see this film because of William Powell and Myrna Loy. I'm so glad I did because it was fantastic! It does fit the genre of screwball comedies of that time period without any alteration, so you may find yourself picking up on the rhythm of the script and predicting lines, as I did. The supporting cast is great, but what is surprising is that in this film, it almost feels like Myrna Loy is included in that group. William Powell took every scene he was in and carried it right away. He was droll and a little weird, but he still remained a believable character. There were some moments when I cringed, I'll only mention Abraham Lincoln if you haven't seen this movie, but they did not detract from me rolling around on the floor in laughter. I suppose I must mention Powell in drag, which is ridiculously funny and countered extremely well by Loy. She did her best work in her scenes with Powell just by playing along or completely denying any of his efforts to seem insane. Although they both get top billing, this is William Powell's film. He was hilarious and honest and I can't believe this film isn't more talked about!

... View More