The greatest movie ever made..!

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Question: How does a New York City gal fit in out in the country as a new bride? Response: I don't know. Is this Barbara Stanwyck in "The Purchase Price", Merle Oberon in "The Cowboy and the Lady", Claudette Colbert in "The Egg and I" or Eva Gabor on "Green Acres"? Real Answer: Well, in this case, it's Irene Dunne in "Never a Dull Moment" where she is ironically wed to Fred MacMurray who did basically the same thin in "The Egg and I". Instead of a chicken farmer here, though, he is a rodeo performer, and she is a Broadway songwriter. The predicament is pretty much the same for Dunne as it was for Colbert, except for the fact that MacMurray has two young daughters (Gigi Perreau and Natalie Wood) who are at first suspicious of her but are won over when she gives them designer watches as "Hi, I'm your new step-mommy dearest" presents. Then, there's the gossipy neighbors on party lines, an overweight Indian cook who practically drowns herself in Dunne's perfume while trying to fit into Dunne's dresses, and the grouchy rancher (William Demarest) keeping his water supply all to himself and anxious to buy MacMurray's property himself. When he is humiliated at Dunne's opening night party, you know he's going to be doing all he can to get them out, but Dunne has a trick or two up her gingham sleeve.One very funny scene has Dunne fighting practically every kind of disaster (including the wind which threatens to tear down the house) all at once. MacMurray is pretty much overshadowed by Dunne who dominates pretty much the entire movie. She is still youthful enough here to do pratfalls, sing a square dance and remain glamorous as she figures out how to close a swinging gate surrounded by mud without getting filthy herself. To think the same year she played Queen Victoria in "The Mudlark" shows her versatility, but unfortunately, she was on the verge of permanently ending her film career. Perreau and Wood start off in dangerous territory as they appear to be hateful brats, but fortunately, the writers changed course quickly. The results of all of this is a watchable but formula comedy that has some unique moments but basically suffers from familiarity.

Never A Dull Moment is based on the book written by Broadway composer Kay Swift who gave up the bright lights of Broadway to settle down as a rancher's wife. Although it won't make the list of Irene Dunne's best films, it does have its amusing aspects and holds up pretty good today.The real Kay Swift according to her Wikipedia biography in 1939 met a rodeo cowboy and in a whirlwind courtship, married him and settled down on his ranch. Previously Swift whose two best known songs, popular to this day are Fine And Dandy and Can't We Be Friends, was involved in a long term relationship with George Gershwin. She had also been married before and I believe Philip Ober's character is based on her ex-husband, Paul James.In any event the film bears some similarities to another true story about urbanites moving to the country, The Egg And I in which Fred MacMurray also starred. Nobody could ever complain about Fred MacMurray as a light leading man in comedies. But as he himself said in westerns, even modern ones, the horse and he were never as one. The part MacMurray plays is not to dissimilar from the one John Wayne did in A Lady Takes A Chance. I think the Duke would have been great in the role and we would have seen a once in a lifetime teaming of Irene Dunne and John Wayne.Natalie Wood and Gigi Perreau play MacMurray's two daughters who take to Dunne quite easily, none of the stepmother angst in this film. And William Demarest has a great role as a grumpy old neighbor that MacMurray and Dunne have to put up with because he has the source of their water on his property.Not a great comedy for Dunne like The Awful Truth, Theodora Goes Wild, or My Favorite Wife, but an amusing film that will please her fans.

This movie featured Irenne Dunne city slicking wife who marries a widower rancher. She and her husband (Fred McMurray)are just a fun couple who have many funny incidents that happen as a married couple. This movie is reminiscent of The Egg and I that Dunne is featured in during the 1940s. Although some say this movie is not very good for Dunne and that it is predictable-- it is funny, innocent, and a great movie for a Sunday afternoon with the family. My family and I have watched copies of this on VHS for years and I even bought another copy off ebay hoping to get a better copy (but it happened to be a copy recorded from TV--BOO ebay!). Anyway my aunt asked me to borrow my copy just the other day and I couldn't help but to watch it again. It requires little though some good laughs and a love of classic films as a prerequisite to watch this one.

IRENE DUNNE, for some strange reason, is called "Buckshot" by her cowboy husband FRED MacMURRAY. That alone is supposed to be funny and endearing. Not.Too bad that after the smash success of films like LIFE WITH FATHER, Irene Dunne was so desperate for good parts that she agreed to settle for a film like this--tedious, predictable, banal sort of comedy that struggles manfully to be funny by putting her through some slapstick paces that are about as funny as a stubbed toe.Occasionally there's a lull in the proceedings that gives Dunne and MacMurray a chance to remind us that they're still the same old likable stars. But then the script takes over again and forces them to play a series of unlikely scenes.For good measure, they have two obnoxious girls (played by a plain looking Natalie Wood who clearly did have an awkward stage, and Gigi Perreau). They add nothing to the charm or situations which strain for laughs. One of the comedic highlights is supposedly when Dunne shoots a neighbor's pet bull. You get my drift.You can skip this one. Even the presence of two top-flight stars can't save it from being the most inappropriately titled comedy of the decade.