Sick Product of a Sick System

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Fans of the movie TOPPER can rejoice in the knowledge that they can now own the film in the best quality possible. VCI has just released the movie in blu-ray format and it's about time. The film was a huge hit when released and a much needed boost in the careers of its stars, in particular Cary Grant who went on to mega hits in the screwball comedy genre.The story revolves around Marion and George Kirby (Constance Bennett and Grant), a wealthy married couple who spend the nights drinking and carousing, a fun loving pair with little care in the world. When the movie opens they're on their way to an annual meeting overseen by their trusted caretaker Cosmo Topper (Roland Young), a banker who oversees their investments and takes care of things.Cosmo is the complete opposite of the Kirbys. He's more inclined to sit passively while life passes him by, more intent on pleasing his wife Clara (Billie Burke), a woman intent on making it in high society. But is he really content? On the outside Cosmo is the stuffy shirt that the Kirbys might tease but he has a boyish quality to him inside.Things change when the Kirbys leave the meeting and George's reckless driving lands them in a wreck killing the two of them. But fear not, that doesn't end to film. It's actually the beginning as both Marion and George become ghosts. Stuck in limbo since their lives led them to do neither good nor bad they realize that the only way to move on is to do a good deed. They decide that the best thing to do is rescue Cosmo from his boring life.Soon they have Cosmo out on the town having the fun he always wanted. He buys their car and has it restored. All of this is to the consternation of his wife who feels he will end up disgracing the family name while she continues to pursue the upper crust crowd. Oddly enough she gets her wish not by her snooty attitudes but by Cosmo's change of attitude.Every step of Cosmo's transformation finds him aided by the Kirbys. Sometimes seen and at others invisible they help him to discover that he may not need to go quite as far as they did with having fun but that he can enjoy life rather than be chained down by it.The movie is a fun filled one that offers the cast the chance to do what they do best. Bennett was already a major star at the time the film was made and this one just advanced her career in that upward direction. As noted for Grant this was his first major comedic role and it suited his style perfectly. He went on to star in many more screwball comedies as well as dramas. For Young it was the biggest role of his career and one that earned him an Oscar nomination.One wouldn't think that a movie focused around the death of a young couple would offer many laughs but the opposite is true. To this day the movie is a fan favorite for many and a perfect example of the screwball comedy genre. The story was popular enough to lead to two sequels as well as two TV series based on the story. Sadly many young people might not be familiar with the film but getting them to watch it should result in their discovering that movies were as good back then as they are today if not better.Extras are nearly non-existent here with just the theatrical trailer available. But the real treat here isn't the extras but the movie itself. It's a fun filled romp that's sure to entertain even some 80 years later. Hard to believe it's that old.

'Topper' is a fun and playful movie which has several things going for it, starting with Cary Grant and Constance Bennett, who play a sophisticated married couple who enjoy staying out all night carousing. They are both delightful. Grant gets a little too reckless behind the wheel of his expensive sports car, and they end up ghosts, but there's no sadness here, and the only difference seems to be that they can now become invisible. They still have appetites (e.g. for alcohol) and can make physical contact with things. Does that make sense? I don't know, but who cares. The film works as a romantic comedy and relationship film, as Grant and Bennett are contrasted by a wealthy banker (Roland Young) who is stifled by his prim wife (Billie Burke), who has him on a tight leash and schedule. She needs to loosen up, and he needs to assert himself, and Grant and Bennett help that along in their own odd ways.There are solid performances all around, and you'll recognize Burke from her role as Glinda the Good Witch in 'The Wizard of Oz'. The special effects are nice, including seeing Grant and Bennett fade in and out, and float various objects in the air (the tire changing scene is brilliant). It's also nice to see Hoagy Carmichael perform a catchy song, 'Old Man Moon'. Don't overthink it, and you'll enjoy this one.

A ghostly husband and wife show a stodgy Wall Street banker how to have a good time.The cast is superb. Bennett deserves to be rediscovered for her expert comedic talents and slinky gowns. Ditto Roland Young, minus the slinky gowns. And while this is early Grant, his sophisticated flair still shines through. So I found myself laughing even when I shouldn't. That's because as an ambulance attendant in my younger days, I don't really find anything funny about drunk drivers, even Grant and Bennett. In my view, the cast has certainly worn better than the bibulous material. Then too, the effects that may have wowed them back then seem obvious now. Besides, I never could figure out how ghosts become solid bodies for no apparent reason, as they do here. Plus those background process shots through the windshield aren't up to standard. Okay, that last gripe is a kind of carping. Still, there're the bouts of amusement in frivolous Park Avenue showing uptight Wall Street how to loosen up. And if the results don't wear as well as Bringing Up Baby (1938), for example, it's still entertaining to watch an expert cast go through their paces.

Inane farce with Roland Young, a stuffy banker, with his even more stuffier wife, Billie Burke, victimized by Cary Grant and Constance Bennett, Young's friends, a care-free, highly eccentric wealthy couple dying too soon in a car accident.The so called fun begins when they're dead and they begin to play havoc in the life of Young.This is a film dedicated to the belief that conventional living isn't necessarily the way to go. You can only go so far with such films. As in the case with this picture, at times it turns into silliness beyond belief.Roland Young was nominated that year as best supporting actor for his antics in this highly unconventional film.