Together Again (1944)

"Together Again" was the third and last pairing of Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne in the leads. One might say they each lose their heads over the other in this wonderful comedy. The story is riddled with hilarious scenes and lines. And, as the screenplay intimates, there might be some heavenly persuasion included in the story. When this movie came out just before Christmas 1944, WW II in Europe had just been prolonged with the German offensive in the Battle of the Bulge. So, that Christmas at home, this film was likely another welcome escape. A superb cast support Dunne and Boyer as Mayor Anne Crandall and sculptor George Corday, respectively. Charles Coburn has one of his excellent roles as a supporting actor. He plays Jonathan Crandall Sr. Mona Freeman is a riot as the teenage daughter of Anne, Diana Crandall. Jerome Courtland is very funny as Gilbert Parker, and Charles Dingle shines as the boisterous publisher of the local newspaper, Morton Buchanan.The special effects and camera crews did some outstanding work with scenes of lightning in the sky. The very end of the film is a masterpiece of film work. The dialog in this comedy-romance is so good, that a few samples are in order. For more funny lines, see the Quotes section in this IMDb Web page on the film. Diana, "Grandfather Crandall, you weren't sick. You cheated. I don't know where you got this dishonesty about things, because you certainly didn't get it from me or my father."Anne, "My, my, it certainly is philosophical out tonight."George, "Most women's necks are just something to hold their heads up. But yours is positively lyrical."Anne, "Oh, that was the strangest thing. I was standing right here with my dress in my hand, and all of a sudden, it disappeared. Right through the window."Witherspoon, "It's manpower, your honor." Anne Candall, "Manpower, my eye. Use woman power, then." Witherspoon, "Women, to collect garbage?" Anne Crandall, "Why not? Women see more garbage in their lives than men do, don't they? They might as well get paid for it."

Yes, I know it was hyperbole saying that Satan made her hat, but I kept thinking only someone very evil could create such an ugly and god-awful hat. Yet, oddly, she bought it to make herself more attractive. This was a miserable failure! As for the film, Irene Dunne plays a very emotionally constricted widow who is the mayor of a small town. Since her husband's death, her life has been her job and her father-in-law (the wonderful Charles Coburn) wants her to live a little--date and have some fun. But she is a seemingly hopeless case and carries her husband's memory around like an albatross around her neck. By chance, she has a meeting with an artist (Charles Boyer). Boyer is a French romantic and she is obviously bothered by him. Very crazy things ensue and the ultimate result is pretty predictable but fun. Not a great film but a fun one.While the film was silly and enjoyable, one problem with it was the annoying character played by Mona Freeman. She was one-dimensional and impossible to believe as a real human being and the first 10 minutes she was in were the worst. Fortunately, she was just a supporting character--and a badly written one. But, on the other hand, Charles Coburn played a most delightful character--full of wonderful quips and easy to love. He made a career out of playing sweet manipulative guys like this (such as in his Oscar-winning performance in "The More The Merrier") as well as gruff old goats. I make it a point to see him in everything and I am never disappointed! He managed to breath some life into this otherwise ordinary film.By the way, in the elevator scene, look at the elevator operator. That's Alfalfa Switzer--of the Li'l Rascals fame. Also by the way, if the plot from this movie seems familiar, it was later re-worked on an episode of "I Love Lucy"!

Anne (Irene Dunne) lives with her father Jonathan (Charles Coburn) and her step-daughter Diana (Mona Freeman). She commissions a sculptor George (Charles Boyer) to work on a statue of her late husband. He moves into her garage to complete the work and romance is in the air. But for who.....? The film is a comedy/romance that is never funny. Charles Coburn provides most of the funny moments but there are far more irritating sequences, namely, whenever Mona Freeman or her boyfriend Gilbert (Jerome Courtland) are on screen. She needs a clout round the head and he plays a simpleton who annoyingly repeats "Goodnight" as his cool talk. This couple are a complete mis-match - she is intelligent and lively while he is slow and moronic - however, they are both very irritating so there is a common trait there. Irene Dunne pulls a few funny expressions but it's not enough to make this film good. It's just boring.........and Charles Boyer looks like a pudding.

Even one of the most gifted and effervescent comediennes of Hollywood's golden era can't rescue the weak, silly (and sexist) script. Yet again Hollywood of the 1940s insists that a successful woman isn't complete, and can't be happy, unless she has a man - and invariably the plot is going to demand that she give up her career, because a relationship with a man is the only thing that matters. It's a premise that becomes increasingly hard to swallow as we get further and further away from the 1940s and 1950s. Charles Boyer plays the bohemian sculptor (who dresses like Saville Row) who she enlists to duplicate a statue of her husband, with graces the small town where she is Mayor, having succeeded her husband, who died. Charles Coburn is reliable comedic support, as her father-in-law, who relentlessly insists that her first womanly duty is to loosen up - in later years they'd say that she should get laid - and go for the man. There's a subplot about her precocious teen daughter, who falls for Boyer, and the daughter's lanky boyfriend, who then falls for Dunne. It's a duplicate set-up of an I Love Lucy episode a few years later. The film is forced, far-fetched, silly, basically unfunny. The stars struggle to bring a levity and wit that are simply missing from the dialogue, situations or premise. Dunne is so fetching, physically lovely, at the height of her beauty, and could deliver a line, arch an eyebrow, tilt her head, laugh, and make every man just fall in love with her, me included. She transcends an inferior script, not exactly enough to make the movie enjoyable, since it's mindlessly silly and predictable, and beneath the talents of the principal cast, but she is simply captivating. Charles Vidor also manages to inject some sparkle with his deft touch, to a sparkle-less script.