lasttimeisaw A harmless, delightful screwball comedy of 1950s, starring Mr. nice guy Gregory Peck and ice queen Lauren Bacall. I cannot say this film fully exploited both stars' spellbinding charm and 120-minutes is rather too long (there were several times sleepiness almost predominated me). Also the supporting cast is meagre except a foolishly amusing performance by Mickey Shaughnessy as the punchy boxer/bodyguard. The Oscar-winning script deserves more chewing to relish the tit-for-tat rivalry between two leads, after an unexpected flash marriage, they realize that they ought to overcome many differences between them to make their wedlock work. One might feel distanced about being alarmed when the wife found out that her husband hid a picture of a beautiful lady from her, then made a fuss about it, and the discrepant milieu of sport reporter and fashion designer is also over-exaggerated, which all tamper the appreciations from my peers.The end actually ended in a mess, the action part is annoying more than ridiculous, the choreography-cum-combat contrivance is rather a solid laughingstock than an innovation. Nevertheless, for whom I consider a nostalgic spectator of Hollywood in the Golden Age, this film could satisfy you in every respect.

maryszd I have seen this beautifully made film many, many times and never get tired of it. I hope eventually all of Vincente Minelli's films come out on Blu-ray. They deserve to be seen in every bit of their gorgeous detail. Even this film's flaws make it richer. Gregory Peck's acting as sportswriter Mike Hagen is stiff and lackadaisical and Lauren Bacall also seems somehow preoccupied (possibly with her husband Humphrey Bogart's poor health). But their personal malaise as actors reinforces one of the central themes of the film, that is, the near impossibility of creating a truly compatible marriage. The sexually ambiguous character of Randy Owens (Jack Cole) also undermines (in a good way) the gender stereotyping that Mike Hagen and his buddies desperately cling to. Dancer Lori Shannon and producer Zachary Wilder are the only true adults in the film; it's their eventual pairing at the end of the film that gives it a sense of emotional completion.Designing Woman also presents a wonderful cinematic vision of New York; it evokes a time when the world of musical theater and Broadway played a central role in American popular culture.

T Y Conceived as an urbane, lifestyle-envy vehicle for wide screens, it's not much more. But it's a handsome production made with more care than it might have been. It's surprisingly modern despite the curious narration device. Minelli mines some of his favorite elements from previous work. The behind-the-scenes soundstages and equipment from The Bad and the Beautiful, become a Dolores Gray TV production here. Revealing the machinery is a much more modern & compelling technique, than filming it straight. I have never understood the appeal of Gregory Peck at all. But here he's in his prime and he's a good clothes horse. His hungover point-of-view shot of the sky over Beverly Hills made me laugh out loud. A scene in which he's somewhere he shouldn't be, and an awful pet dog refuses to comply is pretty funny. Bacall playing 'girly' as the fifties demanded is a stretch, but she's better here than in the laugh-free 'How to Marry a Millionaire' which can't spare her even a second to be human. A punch-drunk lout named Maxie who sleeps with his eyes open, reminds me of several other lunkhead roles (Aldo Ray in Pat and Mike) but mostly of Spinner in 'Death to Smoochy.'The opening narration which structures the rather formless movie, and sets up the brouhaha over a notorious incident in Boston, is not matched by the actual incident when it arrives (it's pretty trivial). The theme music wears out it's welcome at about the half hour mark. Around chapter 29 I was ready for things to conclude but there were still ten chapters to go. (!!!!) I get more enjoyment from a second tier Minelli movie than his big hits (An American in Paris, Gigi). D.W. a virtual carbon copy of the Brittany Murphy/Ashton Kutcher vehicle 'Just Married' where a sports schmo marries better than expected. And I prefer it to the similar Tracy/Hepburn vehicle 'Woman of the Year.' Bogart must have been dying as Bacall worked on this.

teddy_dancer94087 I watched this with my girlfriend last night. Her reaction was so-so until the ending, the wild "dance" by Jack Cole.Otherwise, some great scenes, but somewhat formulaic: sportswriter meets dress designer, let's see what happens. Peck is wonderful and Lauren Bacall shows that her beauty had only improved since TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT ten years earlier.But again, stick around for the finale. It's worth the wait.They say a comment needs ten lines.So there.And there.And there.