Anyone remember the short lived television series Arrested Development? Well I watched an older version of that show in the form of My Man Godfrey, a 1936 screwball comedy starring William Powell. That is not to say that these shows are of the same caliber: My Man Godfrey, in my opinion, is outdated and quite annoying in comparison to the clever and original dialogue of Arrested Development.
Godfrey is a story of man who has given up on his life of sophistication and wealth to endure the hard life of a "lost man" living on the riverside dump (which, by the by, was a very cleanly dump when I watched it). Through a series of events the man, Godfrey, ends up being a butler to the rich and crazy Bullock family who he liberates from their rather weak financial situation and their childish antics. The premise is fine, I actually like the crazy and rich family aspect; it worked well with The Fresh Prince of Bell Air. What made this movie unlikeable was the inclusion of a certain Shirley Temple-like character, played by Carole Lombard, called Irene. The definition of annoying in Webster's dictionary is essentially irritating. Personally, I don't think that describes the character well enough. Here is a clip for you to judge for yourself.
I've dealt with annoying characters before: remember the Red Guy from Cow and Chicken, or Screech from Saved By the Bell? Those characters don't hold a candle to Irene. There is a particular scene which irked me the most, included in the clip above. Godfrey throws Irene in the shower to teach her a lesson and she emerges screaming "Godfrey loves me!" Two words: not funny. I know she was suppose to be screwy but this is an example of over playing your part.
To tell you the truth, I found this movie devoid of any redeeming qualities. In terms of directing, I think that Uwe Boll does as good of a job with his movies. Nothing fancy, nothing real interesting, just average. Even William Powell was uninteresting and very bland in his role as Godfrey. He was projected as a charming, suave, and intelligent person but to me he came off as a mess. Every woman in the house fell in love with him and all he did was serve drinks and wipe off Cornelia's shoe. I've seen more charm in Alec Baldwin (and I believe he is the most repulsing man on the planet).
Closing Statement:
In the end, My Man Godfrey receives a generous 5.5 out of 10, the deductions coming from the charmless Godfrey, the annoying Irene, and the average directing. I understand that context that this movie was placed in (the Great Depression feeling of economic uncertainty) but truthfully I feel as though "reading" this movie in that context can be disregarded. For those of you who are fans of My Man Godfrey please, I'm begging you, PLEASE pick up a copy of the first season of Arrested Development, or watch it here. You will not be disappointed in the quality of comedy and the acting abilities of the cast members.
OK, I've never seen Alec Baldwin and William Powell compared in...quite that way. My brains, my brains!!
ReplyDeleteIt takes awhile to get past the irritation factor of screwball, I think. They're often so annoying that they're hard to look at, and take several viewings to really appreciate what's going on cinematically--especially with Hollywood conventions.
I'd have liked to see you bring the reading into your review. But this is a really fun blog entry, full of amusing links and images, with an online audience in mind.
I think if you watched the movie "It" with Clara Bow you would see the reason Godfrey has every woman falling in love with him. "it" is an undefinable quality that some people just have innately, but what makes "it" "it" is that the people posessing "it" don't know they have this quality which makes them even more alluring. Even if you don't see the movie the idea of women falling in love with Godfrey isn't that far fetched. Think about it, what (stereotypically) makes a girl think she is in love with a man? Its when he ignores her or is unattainable that girls seem to feel an attachment whether it is real or imagined. Godfrey is aloof to the women, never trying to be more than the butler which intrigues the women, add to that his impeccably good manners and his decent looks you have a catch.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed some of your comparisons, including the rich family of Fresh Prince of Bell Air and the various “annoying characters” that “don’t hold a candle to Irene.” I was not a huge fan of Irene at all, and I think a lot of people would agree. The shower scene I particularly didn’t find that hilarious either but there has to be something about it that has stood the test of time and has made it one of the most memorable scenes. What do you think that is? And as far as her overplaying her part, the ridiculousness of her attitude and her over the top actions were supposed to be what was funny about the scene. Do you really think that with a character like Irene, or any character in a screwball comedy for that matter, there is such a thing as “overplaying”?
ReplyDeleteJust as a side note, I don’t particularly agree with your Uwe Boll comparison. I’m not one to claim that awards say how good a film is but come on. Godfrey was nominated for 6 academy awards (one of which was for best director). I didn’t even like the movie that much but I don’t think there’s any comparison between a film like Bloodrayne and My Man Godfrey. Also, I wouldn’t call one Uwe Boll film that I’ve seen, anything better than well below average. Maybe it’s just my opinion though.