Excellent, a Must See

Am I Missing Something?

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Producers: Martin Melcher, Aaron Rosenberg. Copyright 19 December 1963 by Melcher/Arcola Productions. Released through 20th Century- Fox. New York opening at the Astor: 25 December 1963. U.S. release: December 1963. U.K. release: 8 March 1964. Sydney opening at the Regent. 9,290 feet. 103 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Successful lawyer Nicholas Arden (James Garner) goes before Judge Bryson (Edgar Buchanan) in Los Angeles with his fiancée, Bianca Steele (Polly Bergen) to: 1) petition the court to declare his former wife, Ellen Arden (Doris Day), legally dead, since she has been missing for five years following an airplane crash in the Pacific; 2) request the court to marry him to Bianca. This done, the newlyweds are happily on their way by car to their honeymoon in Monterey. Meanwhile, at the Naval base at nearby San Pedro, a submarine lands with Ellen, who has been rescued from a desert isle.NOTES: A re-make of "My Favorite Wife" (1940) starring Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott and Gail Patrick.The script was originally refurbished for Marilyn Monroe as "Something's Got To Give".COMMENT: A mild comedy, rather flatly directed and rather too enthusiastically played, considering the threadbare and overly familiar nature of the material. Doris Day sings two songs of equally forgettable quality. (I'm told that her son Terry Melcher helped out with the composition of the title tune).OTHER VIEWS: Feeble frolic. — New York Times.Heavy-handed and fundamentally irrelevant farce sequences are attached to an intrinsically surefire premise. — Variety.This one is just awful. Oh, Doris Day is just fine. She has a nice comedic style, mugs real good, and is right in there with the fast and slow burns and the double takes, but there's precious little else in this hokey, pretentious razz-ma-tazz. Garner is, let's not mince words, not the best farce man around... Thelma Ritter, Fred Clark and Don Knotts are wasted, but then so was our time. — Robert Salmaggi in the N.Y. Herald Tribune.A brightly colored mess. Suspense is lost because it would be inconceivable in the Hollywood scheme of things to have the country's No. 1 box office star lose her husband to Polly Bergen (who was unranked in the last exhibitor's poll)... Those with weak stomachs should leave before the scene in which Doris Day and the children admit they belong to each other. — Hollis Alpert in the Saturday Review.

Yep. That's right, all you vintage Rom/Com movie fans - I seriously think that this utterly unbearable film (from 1963) really needs to be re-titled "You Make Me Sick, Darling!" (asap) Yep. It sure does.OK. It was irritating enough that this badly-conceived "one-note-joke-of-a-movie" had its idiotic situation milked completely bone-dry - But - On top of that - The totally irksome, scenery-chewing antics of both its female leads (Doris Day and Polly Bergen) was so downright revolting, all round, that it made my skin just crawl like you wouldn't believe.Apparently - "Move Over's" story of bigamy was geared to an "adult" audience - And, yet - With the infantile way in which this subject matter was handled - It was one super-dumb bit of story-telling that made the likes of Sesame Street appear risqué by comparison.... Hey! I ain't kidding around here, folks!

..............making good use of some then popular film & TV players.BEING THAT THIS is a remake of a highly successful movie from the early '40's, hey didn't do such a bad job at all. The most necessary bit of movie magic was in updating the setting, the gags and the execution of the plot moving on-screen happenings.MAKE NO MISTAKE about it, this movie, as well as its predecessor, MY FAVORITE WIFE, have one bit of fascinating and risqué thought at its core. That would be the scarlet letter "A" of adultery. The circumstances of the occurrence being marooned on as dessert island makes it more acceptable, though no less naughty to our rather adolescent way of seeing things in the late '60's.THIS LATTER VERSION does have much to recommend it, although the earlier film wins the battle of star power; being that the cast is headed up by the likes of Cary Grant, Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott. Stars Doris Day and James Garner are most capably backed up by: Polly Bergen, Thelma Ritter, Edgar Buchanan, Pat Harrington, Jr., SAlvy Moore and Chuck Connors.BOTH MY ASSOCIATE, Schultz and I give it a decent rating and a limited recommendation. In other words, see it, but don't go putting it on your Bucket List!

This movie is a remake of My Favorite Wife, starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, which I gave a 10 to. It's been a while since I've watched it the latter though, and at first I was hard-pressed to understand why I felt I liked it better than this remake, but it soon enough came to me.Both movies are vehicles of their leading ladies and tailored to suit their characters. Hence, with Doris Day, there is more slapstick humor and her character comes across as more "cutely" petulant. Irene Dunne is classier and she has an air of benevolence. Now I love Day but with this story, I feel that Dunne's character is more appropriate. And of course Cary Grant is more charismatic than James Garner, even if the latter is pretty hot in this movie.What Move Over has going for it is the queen of wisecracking supporting actresses, Thelma Ritter, who is as fun here as any of her other movies. Also, without the disadvantageous comparison to My Favorite Wife, this movie is a charming enough romantic comedy in itself.