hyped garbage

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Copyright 4 January 1944 by Loew's Inc. New York opening at the Capitol: 24 March 1944. U.S. release: April 1944. Australian release: 14 September 1944. 8,515 feet. 94 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Feeling neglected because Bill, her astronomer-husband, is preoccupied with a new comet, Vicky Whitley seeks some diversion. She meets an astrologer who tells her that, by the twenty-second of the month, she will fall in love with a man who has traveled widely. Vicky informs Bill of the prediction. Upset at her belief in astrology, Bill leaves her and goes to his observatory. Vicky patiently waits for her "man" to appear. After an uneventful day on the twenty-second, she telephones Bill; and admitting that she was wrong, asks him to return home. Just as midnight approaches, however...VIEWER'S GUIDE: Ideal for insomniacs.COMMENT: This wartime escapist farce is pretty tough sledding. The most generous assessment at our Hollywood Classics screening was that the wittiest thing about the movie was its title. A slight comedy spun out to 94 minutes, well beyond the point of tedium. A complete waste of some fine players. Admittedly, In the hands of a less talented director than Alexander Hall, who makes the most of the occasional jokes and mildly intriguing if far too repetitive situations, the results would have been considerably less than the just barely passable entertainment that this Heavenly Body offers.ADDITIONAL COMMENT: As bores go, The Heavenly Body is something rather special, in that it offers the ultra-luxury of being bored by no less a personage than Hedy Lamarr. - PM Reviews.

This is such a ridiculous and silly film that I found it impossible to watch all of it, as it was simply too exasperating and irritating. MGM must have realized they had a turkey on their hands because they employed seven screenwriters, including even the British novelist Michael Arlen, and hired a second (uncredited) director, namely Vincente Minelli, to try and save the film. But all failed. William Powell and Hedy Lamarr were the stars, and they did very well. But their valiant efforts and those of the seven screenwriters and two directors, were all for nothing. The fact is that it was a ludicrous project commissioned by idiots. The main theme of the film is that William Powell, an observational astronomer working at a big telescope (clearly mean to be Mount Palomar), has a beautiful but pin-headed wife who takes astrology so seriously that she will not let him touch her on Tuesdays and according to her chart she must leave him for another man she does not know. The irony of having Hedy Lamarr, probably the most intelligent female star in Hollywood, play the stupidest woman in the history of films, is extreme. The film is an absolutely disgusting attempt to make a comedy based upon the premise that women are unspeakably stupid. One does not have to be a feminist to want to throw up.

Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this trite comedy, but it seemed to me to be all over the place. Hedy Lamarr plays a silly woman, who, neglected by her astronomer husband, William Powell, believes an astrologer who tells her that she will meet another man at a certain time. She does, and it turns out to be the neighborhood air raid warden, James Craig. She then announces she's leaving her husband, to his consternation.The heavenly body refers to Lamarr, of course, who is absolutely gorgeous in this movie as usual, if not much of an actress, also as usual. She did have one of the most exquisite faces of all time, though. The heavenly body also refers to Whitley's comet, a comet to be named after her husband.Powell handles the comedy well. It's a good cast, mildly enjoyable, but in the end, there's not much to it.

If you are at all familiar with astrology, you'll find the tongue-in-cheek astrological subplot very amusing. Essentially a straightforward romantic comedy of the era, with a wartime subplot in addition to the astrological one. Astronomer Powell, pre-occupied with recent developments in his work, doesn't devote sufficient time to his marriage, so wife Hedy seeks guidance from the neighborhood astrologer. Informed that she is about to meet a new love, she becomes infatuated with a handsome air raid warden, presuming him to be her foretold lover. Predictable hijinks ensue, with the predictable happy ending.A comment on the role of the astrologer, portrayed by Fay Bainter. Her character is more a shrewd neighborhood gossip than a psychic, but appears to be a genuine believer in astrology as opposed to a calculating charlatan. Her character is presented as essentially a harmless eccentric. However, she is later revealed to be a rations hoarder (much frowned upon during WWII). Some PC Pagan/New Age persons may therefore be offended by the negative, 'discriminatory stereotype' depicted in the film. Others can look forward to some silly, harmless entertainment.I recall this amiable hodge podge of a film with affection. The stars are charming and appealing. It also has considerable camp value. And yes, Hedy's ethereal gorgeousness is nothing short of stunning.