I seriously don't think that Godfrey was in love with Irene. She was like a little child who he was fond of, and put up with, but wasn't at all in love with. Does anyone else feel that the ending seems tacked on?
~If you say "I had everything under control" one more time I'm going to slap you with my guitar.~
I would have prefered it if he had ended up with the other sister. I thought they were a better match.
shareHe's great with Gail Patrick. I love him with Myrna Loy most of all, like everyone else, but in this one Powell/Loy movie, "Love Crazy" he has this slapstick scene with Gail Patrick, running from the police and getting scalded in the shower, that is fantastic. They're perfect in it. He's just better with actresses that aren't all over the place.
Since I like William Powell more than I do Carole Lombard, I always thought Godfrey/Irene didn't work for me because Lombard was OTT. But looking back, he is really shut off from her. He doesn't give that impression that he likes her but doesn't realize he LIKES her. I totally believe him when he explains to her they can't be a duo, which is why the end of the movie feels wrong. I believe we should feel (not just be told, but feel) that he likes her, but is too disciplined and experienced to go further, and we should be happy she takes matters into her own hands. However, I don't feel that way, because he honestly seems that he doesn't want her.
Yeah... For me, an immature twit like Irene forcing her attentions on Godfrey and "winning" him at the end ruins an otherwise great screwball comedy for me.
Funny, there was that discussion at the beginning about the dignity and considerations for other human beings at the beginning when "forgotten men" were being collected like commodities for the scavenger hunt at the beginning of the film. Yet, Godfrey is reduced to a little more than a possession and toy for the immature, vengeful, spoiled brat, Irene, regardless of how Godfrey felt about her.
Shame. I thought their friendship and understanding at the beginning of the film at the scavenger hunt was so lovely... Then, Irene had to start forcing herself on Godfrey and she was no longer considerate of Godfrey or his feelings. Then, there's that weird business of her randomly riding a horse up the front steps of her house, leaving it on the premises, and aggravating her family... Wtf? Def. not good enough for Godfrey.
Too bad Molly and Cornelia didn't end up with Godfrey. They're much more up to Godfrey's level and had much better chemistry. Lombard and Powell would've had much better chemistry if Irene was written to behave a bit more like an adult, as opposed to an irritating, love-struck adolescent with stunted mental and emotional growth.