Antonius Block The story goes that director Leo McCarey told his actors to improvise in their comedy, and if it was good, he would use it. Cary Grant was skeptical at first, but then rolled with it. He's very good at comedy in addition to being the gold standard in debonair, and there were a few scenes in 'The Awful Truth' that had me laughing out loud. The most memorable is when he stands behind the door, and after getting bonked on the nose a few times, tickles Irene Dunne with a pencil as she listens to love poetry from her new beau (Ralph Bellamy). You see, Grant and Dunne are in the process of getting a divorce, after he "went to Florida" in order to be with another woman, and she was in a hotel with her voice teacher "because their car broke down". After fighting for custody of their dog, Mr. Smith (Skippy aka Asta), they continue to trade playful barbs and play mischief on one another, sabotaging their new relationships. The movie is full of clever dialog, banter, and general zaniness. It's a little harsh on Okies, showing the cultural divide has always been with us, but it's in funny (and hopefully non-offensive) ways. As cute as that all was, it was the final scene that really made the film for me. In an understated way, it's very sexy, with the tension having been built up from all Grant and Dunne's comments. It's clear they know each other perfectly, still love each other, and want each other. The idea they end up together will hardly come as a surprise, but the execution in that last scene is lovely, with a slow, almost teasing pace, and Dunne looking up at Grant demurely from her bed. McCarey won the Oscar for best director amidst several other nominations for the film, and while it's not the best of romantic or screwball comedies, it's very good, and well worth watching.

Luiz Felipe Cary Grant had his best performance with Irene Dunne in this film, they are both humorous and seem to share a bit of what they find funny. Not only that, but we can see that they are definitely in synchronisation, their teasing and sarcasm were much better delivered and developed than, say, "My Favourite Wife". Too bad they only did three films together, I would love to see more comedic performances from him and her as they were shown in this film.

utgard14 Cary Grant and Irene Dunne play a divorcing couple who are both engaged to other people. Before the divorce becomes final, the two try to ruin each other's new relationships. Classic comedy from the great Leo McCarey with stars at the top of their game. Grant and Dunne have wonderful chemistry. They were both great comedic actors individually so you can imagine how much fun they are when paired together. Ralph Bellamy leads a fine supporting cast. Poor Ralph Bellamy. Seems like he was always the guy who had to play runner-up to the male lead. He was so good at it that I often find myself wishing he could get the girl in the end and Cary (or Fred Astaire, Randolph Scott, etc.) could find somebody else. It's really a terrific movie. Cary Grant made so many superb comedies (not to mention dramas and thrillers). You can never go wrong giving one of his movies a shot. Even the worst ones I've seen were watchable thanks to Cary's tremendous talent and screen presence.

Michael Fargo This ranks with "His Girl Friday" and the Preston Sturgis films. For me, the real surprise was Irene Dunn's confidence at comedy (and she looks spectacular in Robert Kalloch's costumes). If it's not full of belly laughs, it succeeds in sophisticated banter mocking marriage, and there's nary a missed beat from start to finish. The entire cast is uniformly strong with unusually beautiful production design. And wouldn't we all love to have an "Aunt Patsy" like Cecil Cunningham? And Joyce Compton almost steals the show as Dixie Bell Lee, that is, until Dunn emerges as Grant's long lost sister. This is a terrific way to spend 91 minutes, and the film deserves its place in the "top 50" of Premiere's Greatest Film Comedies of all time.