Houseboat (1958)

Tom Winters (Cary Grant) is a very busy lawyer in DC. Divorced, he rarely sees his three beautiful children, David (Paul Petersen), Elizabeth and Robert. Yet, a fateful day arrives. His ex-wife passes away and he is suddenly in charge of the trio of kids. He is out of his element and the kiddies don't like bunking with a virtual stranger, either. Also, the three siblings are used to living in rural Virginia and don't appreciate the "sights" of the big city that Dad tries to show them. Unbelievably, Tom takes his family to a stuffy concert near the Washington Monument. Robert turns up missing but is rescued by a beautiful lady, Cinzie (Sophia Loren). This single woman is running away from the demands of her father, a famous conductor. Very quickly, changes arrive. Cinzia is hired as the housekeeper, although she can't cook or clean. She obviously loves to care for children, though. Then, Tom decides to move to the country and commute to DC and ends up installing the kids in an old Houseboat. Will this really work? Tom and Cinzie are going to be in very "close" quarters! Also, David is still mourning the death of his mother and may need special attention. Can Tom give it? Well, Cinzie is there to help, right? This darling romantic comedy from the late fifties is quite charming. Grant is always a delight and Loren is beyond alluring and lovely while also showing a comic tough. (Just an observation, Loren and Penelope Cruz look very much alike!). Peterson and the other two child actors do a nice job as well, as does all of the other supporting players. Then, the setting of a houseboat in rural Virginie is fun and scenic while costumes, script and lively direction help move the movie along well. Do bring Houseboat to your house soon. Despite its date of release, its story and issues are timeless.

This is a very cute and inconsequential family film starring Cary Grant and the very young Sophia Loren. While it is not a movie that will change your life or make a huge impression, it's still an awful lot of fun. Cary is a widower who lives on a houseboat with his kids. The trouble is that he needs a combination housekeeper and mom for the kids, so he goes about trying to hire one. He picks Ms. Loren and after a while everyone in the family succumbs to her very ample charms. Considering she was a great housekeeper (though she couldn't cook), loved the kids and was built like,....Sophia Loren, it certainly isn't surprising that by the end of the film Cary has also recognized her as prime wife material. Predictable,...yes. But who cares, as it's a lot of fun and yet another nice outing from Grant. Plus, the romance that predictably develops between them and the way the film ends is highly entertaining. While I give this movie only a 7, it is well worth seeing--deep no--but lots of fun. About the only serious negative is the REALLY annoying song that Loren sings throughout the movie. But, once again, being Sophia Loren, most audiences of the day probably weren't there to hear her singing.

For those who still have the hopeless romantic side to them still kindling, and for those who are not totally cynical about predictable outcomes, Houseboat is decent fun. Cary Grant repeating his romantic comedy work for the umpteenth time, works well with the ravishing and radiant Sophia Loren. Given they were thirty years apart, Grant and Loren were in a pretty heavy romance off screen at this time. Their chemistry is evident and it shows well here. Harry Gaurdino has a good and humorous supporting role. It cracks me up when movies of the 50's portrayed Italian women as fiery and impulsive. It's done that way a bit here as well with Loren, except the script offers her character a bit more warmth and depth. Hollywood stereotypes of Italians have improved until "The Sopranos" came along forty years later. Houseboat is just a cute movie that is worth watching to fill in time. And if you are a fan of either star, it will be that much better.

I've commented on about 2000 films. I can find something interesting in just about any film, the worse the better. But this is not just a bad movie, it is offensive.I'm not just talking about what would suggest sexual abuse in today's context. Every element is the worst of the Hollywood formula system: — the way that one of the world's most glamorous women is made up and photographed as actually ugly.— the vapid appeal to "Saturday Post" notions of religion, something that would offend even a Texas fundamentalist.— the completely valueless and nonsensical dynamics of the romantic situation on both sides: the sister-in-law cum lover then dumped and the presumably hotblooded impetuous runaway daughter cum maid then second wife.— the blatant theft of the Buster Keaton bit about the train hitting the house, except all we see are some Styrofoam boards thrown toward Grant.— the promising setup of the houseboat that is utterly ignored.— the bankable humor of Grant that seems to have been deliberately avoided at every opportunity. Add to this the other characters, so poorly drawn they don't even qualify as cartoons.— the Edith Head costumes that are unflattering, uninteresting _and_ unphotogenic.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.