As Good As It Gets

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Shrewdly acted soaper. Usually these weepies milk over-emoting but not here. Grant, Lombard and Francis under-play despite strong feelings, thereby highlighting character rather than emotion. That opening scene at the river is delightful, a great hook. The remainder, however, switches to understated drama. Seems Grant's trapped in a loveless marriage that his influential but misled parents embrace. But when he meets the winsome Lombard, he's smitten. He'd like to divorce the icy Francis and marry Lombard, but remains torn until the conniving wife becomes impossible. However, now Lombard's too wary of his complications to follow through, and wants to take a job in faraway Paris. So what will happen, as if you didn't know.Kay Francis as the ice-queen wife is truly unsettling. With an unblinking stare, a majestic bearing, and a regal wardrobe, she's almost scary. In fact, it's sort of hard seeing how Grant could have fallen for her, except for her deadpan good looks. Note that the star-crossed Lombard remains deglamorized throughout much of the movie. So her rivalry with Francis dwells on personality instead of glamour. That's a tribute, I think, to her ego as an actress. However, except for the river opening and bar scene, Grant's celebrated comedic touch is mostly secondary to his romantic quandary. Still, his innate charm shines through. Anyhow, I didn't recognize Helen Vinson, who plays the cruel Suzanne, but I sure do now. And finally, catch little Peggy Ann Garner as the tyke—given more screen time, she could have stolen the show. Except for the car crash, there's no action to speak of. Still, the talk moves along smoothly enough, without dawdling. Fortunately, fans of the three principal players should find plenty to enjoy, which all in all, amounts to a bigger draw than the rather patchy storyline.

Considering the three main stars a curiously obscure drama from the legendary year of 1939. Superior soap opera contains some of the best work Cary Grant, Carole Lombard and Kay Francis ever put on film. Carole shows that she wasn't just a superb comedienne but a skilled dramatic actress. Cary is just right in blending the facile with the seriousness of the untenable situation he finds himself in. As good as both of them are, and they are great, even better is Kay Francis, a portrait in silky malevolence. This was inexplicably almost the end of her film career, she ended up in Poverty Row junk only a few years later and after watching this it's hard to understand how this didn't open up a whole new chapter for her as the wicked woman of cinema. Perhaps she was just too early for noir, she would have been perfect as a poison pit viper in many of those pictures.

I love watching this film because of the love-hate relationship I develop with each of the lead characters. I'm a sucker for true love but I loathe infidelity. My moral compass tells me I should be aligned with wife Maida, but my heart belongs to adultress Julie. Were I in husband Alec's position, I would be compelled towards loyalty and fidelity, but feeling unloved, could I be strong enough not to follow the path my heart wants me to take? Why should Alec not follow his heart? Life is short.The only criticism I really have for this film has to do with Cary Grant. When husband Alec reads, or pretends to read, the newspaper, Cary has this odd, tunnel-vision stare. I don't understand its purpose, if there is one.

75/100. When in the cast you have Cary Grant, Carole Lombard and Kay Francis, you know you are in for a treat, and indeed, In Name Only is just that. Surprisingly, Kay Francis outshines the top billed performers. She gives a very fine performance. Helen Vinson is memorable as one of Francis' catty friends. Good art direction, the costumes are quite well done. This is one of Peggy Ann Garner's earliest roles as Lombard's daughter. She is such a natural actress. Well written and a bit of a tearjerker, but it showcases Lombard's versatility in her ability to play dramatic roles as well as the comic roles she is best known for. John Cromwell's careful direction pulls it all together.