LaDonna Keskes For the most part Double Wedding is a standard rom-com about opposites attracting, with Myrna Loy and William Powell carrying most of the screenplay weight. But it's John Beal's delightfully clueless literal- minded suitor to Loy's sister (ably but forgettably played by Florence Rice) that makes this film work. Scenes he shares with Powell as a hopeless actor and would-be man of the world are laugh-out-loud funny. His style of understated flat-affect comedy wouldn't become popular until the Coen brothers. Powell and Loy are capable as always, and the sets and costumes have a high sheen, but this film is Beal's steal. There's lots of misunderstandings and misapprehensions, all of which don't add much to the genre, but it's an amusing way to spend a few hours in the company of experts.

vincentlynch-moonoi Every time I see a William Powell film that I haven't seen before, I walk away with even more admiration for him. Honestly, he may make it to my upper tier of actors soon (Spencer Tracy, Ronald Colman, and Cary Grant); he's so close already. And this film repeated that pattern...in this case because of the really off-beat Powell plays so well here.And while this is very much Powell's picture, Myrna Loy provides the balance to Powell's character. I did have a little trouble seeing Loy's character married to Powell's character. A sequel would have been great to explore that.For me, however, there are 2 problems with this film. The first is the first 15 minutes of the film. Frankly, it should have been totally rewritten with a better scenario. But after we get to Powell and Loy interacting, things turn around pretty well.The other problem is the supporting cast. Florence Rice is "okay" as the second female love interest. But John Beal floats along like a rock in water. Jessie Ralph as an elderly friend is the one standout among the supporting actors/actresses. And -- unfortunately -- Sidney Toler is along as the butler, and once again proves he had virtually no talent.So, for me, the film was uneven. But William Powell's masterful comedy instincts make this a film worth savoring, while overlooking the problems with the film.

Homeric Love the two leads, Powell and Loy, and think they are terrific actors. But here the script and/or direction or both let them down. I thought the film was somewhat "flat" and lacked "yumph" the very word they mention in the film. To put it succinctly, it was often boring (although there were some good moments). Maybe it was due to Harlow's death that other commenter's have mentioned, I don't know. This is a film that fans of Powell and Loy will want to watch, but it certainly isn't a "classic". Powell seems to me to be a little more subdued than I think he usually is and Loy doesn't seem to be really interested. Again maybe due to Harlow's death but the script is a mess and the plot meanders all over the place and never gains traction. I really think Powell and Loy did the best they could with a lousy script and lackluster direction. Still, Powell and Loy are worth watching, IMHO, in anything.

bkoganbing Double Wedding finds Myrna Loy as a Katharine Hepburn/Rosalind Russell type career woman who is dominating all. We wouldn't see the like of it until Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada on the screen. But I doubt that Streep would have fallen for a free spirit like William Powell. Nor would sister Florence Rice.The problem is that Florence lives with Myrna who dictates her whole life to her including her choice of husband and in this case it's the original milquetoast John Beal. Beal himself gets a few laughs in a role that Harold Lloyd would have been ideal had that part been the central character.Out of rebellion Rice starts hanging around and falling for Powell who lives in a trailer parked in a vacant lot next to Edgar Kennedy's bar. Powell is not the marrying kind at first and definitely not for Rice, but Beal is such an incredible drip. And Loy won't have him, at least for a brother-in-law. But who knows for what else.This role for Powell was quite a departure, usually he's a gentleman dressed to the nines. Still even as a Bohemian free spirited artist he's the height of graciousness and good manners and actually makes it work. I could never see Loy living in a trailer, much less a trailer park. She'll have to have Powell move in with her and dress him up a bit.Double Wedding which was being shot while Jean Harlow was shooting Saratoga and dying a little every day on that set cast a pall on this picture. The Powell/Loy timing seemed a bit off, certainly Powell was doing his own grieving in quiet moments for the woman he planned to marry.It's not the best of their team features, but Bill and Myrna's fans should have no cause for complaint.