Newly-married Mortimer Brewster visits his two aunts in Brooklyn. To everyone they are sweet, generous, caring old ladies but Mortimer soon discovers that they are serial killers. What's worse, the body of their latest victim is hidden in a chest in their living room, where anyone could find it. Mortimer does his best to dispose of the evidence but his plans are impeded when his psychopathic, also-serial-killing brother, Johnny, comes to visit, along with his plastic surgeon, Dr Einstein.
The great Frank Capra, more renowned for classic, largely sentimental, dramas like 'It's A Wonderful Life', "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', 'Mr. Deeds Goes To Town' and 'Meet John Doe" turns his hand to comedy, and the end product is a bit hit and miss. At its best the movie is a funny, off-the-wall dark comedy. At its worst it is plain silly, and dull. Unfortunately there's an equal measure of both, and they come in waves.
The best moments generally involve Johnny and Dr Einstein. Their schtick is more darkly serious, but in being serious they're very funny. Some great dark comedy moments involving them.
The worst bits involve Cary Grant / Mortimer Brewster. The character is over-the-top and overacted by Grant, to the point of irritation. In addition, Teddy Roosevelt was initially interesting as a one-off comedic device, but quickly grew irritating due to overuse, and, well, for being irritating. Until Johnny and Dr Einstein entered the movie, I was starting to lose interest, that's how irritating and dull the remaining characters and sub-plots are.
So it become a roller-coaster of very funny scenes and eye-rollingly bad, irritating scenes.
Overall, reasonably fun and funny, but certainly not deserving of its 'classic' tag.
The great Frank Capra, more renowned for classic, largely sentimental, dramas like 'It's A Wonderful Life', "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', 'Mr. Deeds Goes To Town' and 'Meet John Doe" turns his hand to comedy, and the end product is a bit hit and miss. At its best the movie is a funny, off-the-wall dark comedy. At its worst it is plain silly, and dull. Unfortunately there's an equal measure of both, and they come in waves.
The best moments generally involve Johnny and Dr Einstein. Their schtick is more darkly serious, but in being serious they're very funny. Some great dark comedy moments involving them.
The worst bits involve Cary Grant / Mortimer Brewster. The character is over-the-top and overacted by Grant, to the point of irritation. In addition, Teddy Roosevelt was initially interesting as a one-off comedic device, but quickly grew irritating due to overuse, and, well, for being irritating. Until Johnny and Dr Einstein entered the movie, I was starting to lose interest, that's how irritating and dull the remaining characters and sub-plots are.
So it become a roller-coaster of very funny scenes and eye-rollingly bad, irritating scenes.
Overall, reasonably fun and funny, but certainly not deserving of its 'classic' tag.