When Lucy and Jerry arrive home after being away from each other their suspicions regarding what happened on their trips grow into accusations of affairs, and lies. Jerry suspects that Lucy is having an affair with her music teacher after she arrives home later than him from a night she claims she spent broke down, and stranded by the car. The two seek out new romances as soon as they decide on a divorce, but the two seem to have a problem with seeing the other move on, and make attempts to ruin the new love prospects.
From the beginning this movie is fun because of the chemistry between Grant, and Dunne. They seem to enjoy working with each other, and naturally Grant had a natural way with getting the women to want him on screen. Leo McCarey handles the film well by progressing the two to a very romantic climatic ending. There are a few scenes that are added in choppily, but he catches the comedic timing well between the actors.
Irene Dunne's Lucy starts off a tad annoying. For some reason she grows on you throughout the film though. Cary Grant changed a lot as far as his maturity over the years. In later films George Clooney like suaveness was present, and in his earlier ones he had a boyish charm about him like in this movie. It translates well to the situation he is in. You had no idea why the couple wanted to be together considering they didn't seem to have any deeper reasons for being with someone, but toward the end you're cheering them on to end up together, and you even begin to care.
Another highlight is the costumes of the time that make you just want to watch it to be immersed in that era. It takes the ultimate glam of the 30s, and puts it into a movie. How could people in the 30s relate to this becomes a question though? America was overcoming The Great Depression, and these characters are very hung up on wealth that most might have found not relatable. Perhaps, it was a bit escapism though. The story does a good job of humbling both characters to understanding what matters most though, and perhaps that is the point.
For romantic comedy enthusiasts you must check this out. It's the genre at one it's greatest, and provides a much better story than many you'll find these days. If you're not too much into singing in your movies then it might be a tad much. At some points it almost felt like Broadway on the movie screen. The Awful Truth ends up being a lot of fun, and a good light date movie that your boyfriend might be able to get into also.
Rating 4 of 5.
