I am not a huge fan of Lucille Ball nor "I Love Lucy". It isn't that I dislike either...I'm just not particularly in love with them like many of their fans. However, I recently saw the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz film "The Big Trailer" recently and really enjoyed it...much more than I expected. So, when I saw TCM was airing "Forever, Darling" I thought I'd give it a chance. In hindsight...I wish I hadn't.
The film has a rather strange plot. After a few years, the marriage between Susan and Lorenzo (Lucy and Desi) has grown tense...and much of it is because Susan keeps friends around her which are toxic to their marriage. After a big row, a guardian angel (James Mason) appears to her repeatedly and Susan thinks she's losing her mind. However, eventually instead of running from him, she talks to the angel and he advises her that the marriage is in deep trouble and it's up to her to make changes. So, she agrees to go with Lorenzo on a long trek into the wilderness and hilarity ensues....or at least it was supposed to ensue.
The problems with the film all boil down to the writing. The basic premise is rather dumb but the bigger problem is the sit-com quality writing. For example, when Susan and Lorenzo spend their first night out camping, Susan almost instantly starts complaining...and no one is THAT annoying in real life. Within SECONDS it's one complaint after another--and the complaints are dumb ("it's stuffy in here", "it's too dark", "Larry (Lorenzo)...chase the owl away", "Larry...I'm stuck in my sleeping bag", "I cut my finger...it's bleeding", "The Coffee is cold", "I can't eat bread without butter or spread"). The timing is just awful and you wonder why her husband doesn't just leave her then and there!!
Overall, I'd say this one is only for die-hard fans who will probably look past the lousy writing and lack of real comedy. Instead, I say find a copy of "The Big Trailer"...a film superior in every way.
By the way, I felt a bit sad while watching this film because only a short time later, Lucy and Desi actually DID end up divorcing. A sad case of life imitating art.
The film has a rather strange plot. After a few years, the marriage between Susan and Lorenzo (Lucy and Desi) has grown tense...and much of it is because Susan keeps friends around her which are toxic to their marriage. After a big row, a guardian angel (James Mason) appears to her repeatedly and Susan thinks she's losing her mind. However, eventually instead of running from him, she talks to the angel and he advises her that the marriage is in deep trouble and it's up to her to make changes. So, she agrees to go with Lorenzo on a long trek into the wilderness and hilarity ensues....or at least it was supposed to ensue.
The problems with the film all boil down to the writing. The basic premise is rather dumb but the bigger problem is the sit-com quality writing. For example, when Susan and Lorenzo spend their first night out camping, Susan almost instantly starts complaining...and no one is THAT annoying in real life. Within SECONDS it's one complaint after another--and the complaints are dumb ("it's stuffy in here", "it's too dark", "Larry (Lorenzo)...chase the owl away", "Larry...I'm stuck in my sleeping bag", "I cut my finger...it's bleeding", "The Coffee is cold", "I can't eat bread without butter or spread"). The timing is just awful and you wonder why her husband doesn't just leave her then and there!!
Overall, I'd say this one is only for die-hard fans who will probably look past the lousy writing and lack of real comedy. Instead, I say find a copy of "The Big Trailer"...a film superior in every way.
By the way, I felt a bit sad while watching this film because only a short time later, Lucy and Desi actually DID end up divorcing. A sad case of life imitating art.