It Happened One Night** (1934)

Looking back at all the films that have dominated the Oscars recently (and throughout the Acadmey’s history for that matter), it’s almost unfathomable that a screwball romantic comedy was the first (and still one of only three films) to capture ‘The Big Five’ (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay). After watching It Happened One Night, however, one thing is absolutely clear- if you don’t like this film, then you cannot call yourself a movie lover.

Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert), a spoiled young heiress, marries against her father’s will. Daddy breaks in on the new couple and before they consummate their nuptials and holds her in isolation on a private yacht until she comes to her senses. Furious and crafty, Ellie manages to swim to shore and attempts to make her way to New York City to be with her beau. Her attempts to remain unnoticed fail, as newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable) realizes who she is and what she’s up to.

After missing their bus one morning, Peter makes a proposition- he won’t alert her father to her whereabouts if she promises him an exclusive story on her flight from her father. She attempts to bribe him but Peter bluntly advises that he doesn’t care about her or her father’s money. This starts a tension-filled journey across the country that’s full of snide comments, snappy one-liners and plenty of screwball antics as Ellie and Peter’s animosity towards each other gradually melts into attraction.

One of the things I’ve learned from watching films from Hollywood’s early days is that it can be very difficult to appreciate the originators of what have become genre conventions. Being a child of the late 80s and early 90s, nearly all of the films I grew up watching laid their foundations on the films that came before them. Modern audiences often take for granted or don’t even realize that they have the privilege of benefiting from over 80 years of film production advancements. It’s a daunting task to look for the originality in something that seems so predictable by today’s standards.

Having finally seen It Happened One Night, I can instantly call to mind dozens of references and allusions to this classic in any number of other films and TV shows- heck even Looney Tunes cartoons! It’s not enough to recognize the merits of older films like this- to truly appreciate it you must also recognize the legacy and impact it has had on popular culture. This is one of those films that are rife with scenes, lines and gags worth recycling and paying homage to.

Everything in director Frank Capra’s film seems to be firing on all cylinders. The chemistry between Gable and Colbert is palpable and they seem to deliver their lines effortlessly. You’d think they had been working together for years but this was their first picture together. On top of this, Colbert was very disappointed in the script and evidently complained every day of production. This goes to show just how fantastic she and Gable are at their craft, able to bury any inhibitions while the cameras are rolling.

Robert Riskin’s screenplay is breezy and full of playful lines. Even before the puritanical Motion Picture Producers Code was established, Riskin’s script makes clever use of double-entendres to skirt around the decency standards of the day. This kept the film tasteful but bawdy enough to appeal to a wide audience. Somehow, despite encountering these gags and lines any number of times through modern movies, there is freshness in their delivery here.

I was initially only going to give this film 3.75 stars out of 5 because there were elements that, due to my generation, come off as predictable. Having seen a number of references and allusions to It Happened One Night recently though, I can’t possibly deny it the greatness it deserves. I fear that my rating may still be limited by seeing these things a thousand times before but any time I see someone flash a little leg to catch a cab, put a sheet to separate his-and-hers beds, or make a reference to the Walls of Jericho, you better believe this movie will come to mind.

Don’t watch this film simply because it is the stuff of Oscar legend. Watch it because it is a charming and endearing film that paved the way for the romantic comedy genre. Paying your respects to the past never felt so good.

RATING: 4 out of 5

I Love You, Man (2009)

Every year, plenty of movies are made about relationships. These include chick flicks with no grasp on reality, hard-hitting Oscar-bait dramas and indie-flicks that nobody sees. Every now and again, someone manages to make a comedy containing poignant commentary on modern relationships. Incredibly vulgar but oddly endearing, I Love You, Man strives to be one of these rarities.

Real estate agent Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is newly engaged to the beautiful Zooey (Rashida Jones). There’s just one problem- Peter doesn’t have any strong male friends and no one in mind to be his best man for the wedding. Peter struggles through a few awkward ‘man dates’ but strikes gold when a quirky investor named Sydney (Jason Segel) shows up at one of his open houses. Sydney’s ‘tell it like it is’ attitude is both amusing and enlightening and Peter begins regularly hanging out with him.

Zooey is happy for Peter until he starts spending a little too much time with Sydney in his ‘man cave.’ After Sydney’s veiled attempt to convince Zooey that she need to perform fellatio on her man during an engagement party speech, Zooey’s opinion of the man sours. Several incidents later, Peter cuts ties with Sydney, fearing that their friendship is hurting his relationship with Zooey. Naturally, everyone comes to their senses and we get an amusingly awkward but happy ending.

Despite a seeming paint-by-numbers plot, I Love You, Man is different. In some ways, it’s a chick flick for guys (or maybe just a chick flick with guys in the lead instead of girls) with loads of foul language and boyish humor. It can’t quite break away from its formulaic feel but it is a very unique role reversal. Crassness aside, it does offer a candid look at male friendship. Men are stereotyped to have all kinds of ‘guy friends’ that they go do ‘guy stuff’ with. It’s nice to see a film debunk that myth.

While the script makes a few genuinely interesting remarks about male friendship and relationships in general, none of the commentary is very memorable. This means that I Love You, Man is not the second coming of When Harry Met Sally. Some fans of emotionally honest comedies may be disappointed by this but I doubt it was the filmmakers plan in the first place. It seems like this film was designed as a blend of When Harry Met Sally and The 40 Year Old Virgin.

Does this mean that the meat of the film is dumbed down with potty humor to attract male viewers? Perhaps. Then again, the non-raunchy components wouldn’t have made for a very satisfying film on their own and would have seemed like an uninspired attempt to modernize When Harry Met Sally. By taking the path that it did, the filmmakers succeeded in making a film worth seeing once and that can’t be a bad thing.

Perhaps the film is held back by its cast. There are no leading actors or actresses in this production. It’s tough to sell a movie composed of people best suited or at least most known for their supporting role work. Paul Rudd works as an average guy and Jason Segel works as Sydney but they fail to make their characters dynamic in any way. Sure, they hit their marks and drop their lines when they need to but there’s some misfiring when it comes to their comedic chemistry.

I Love You, Man is good for a few innocent and several not-so-innocent laughs. You will be able to remember the basic gist of the film but few if any scenes, lines or characters will stick with you for very long. You can see better but you can definitely see a lot worse than this.

RATING: 3 out of 5