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Mary, Mary

1963, Movie, NR, 125 mins

Mary, Mary: Review

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MARY, MARY is so-so. At over two hours, it's been padded out, and there is nothing slower than a comedy where the jokes don't play. Breen's adaptation should have sliced some of the excesses, instead of adding to them. It isn't much more than a movie of the play, and that would have been all right except that the actors seemed to be waiting for laughs. The editing was awful, and they even cut from one person to another in the middle of a punch line, a definite no-no. The picture was released while Kerr's play was still making money on the New York stage as well as on tour, and it's a fairly foolproof work in the mouths of the right actors. Nelson is a newly divorced book publisher in trouble with the IRS. His attorney, Sherman, states that Nelson has to go through his files and justify some of his expenses or he is going to pay a whopping fee to the government because he is being audited. Since Nelson has no idea what all the cancelled checks mean, he must call upon his ex-wife, Reynolds, to come back to their home and help him go through the pile of checks. Nelson feels antsy about getting together with Reynolds, but his fiancee, McBain, would like to meet the woman who shed the man she is about to marry. Reynolds arrives, and Nelson's wartime pal, Rennie, a waning Hollywood actor, finds her attractive. Reynolds can't get a hotel room in New York, so she must use Nelson's apartment, which is okay because Nelson and McBain are out of town briefly to visit her parents. There's a violent snowstorm, and Nelson returns unexpectedly to his New York flat, where he finds Reynolds and Rennie in a clinch. Rennie exits, and Nelson and Reynolds stay up all night talking (and doing one-liner after one-liner) because the weather is so lousy that neither can leave the apartment. After a reconciliation seems hinted at, they fall back into the arguing that caused the divorce in the first place and she announces that she is going down to New Orleans with Rennie. By this time, Nelson realizes that he dearly loves Reynolds and won't allow her to run off with Rennie, so he locks her in a closet, and Rennie leaves for the Crescent City without her. McBain sees that Nelson still loves Reynolds and graciously departs to allow the two former spouses to work it out. Lots of sexy talk about life, love, and marriage, with rafts of jokes, sometimes a few too many. Anyone not familiar with the publishing and literary establishments won't appreciate all of the inside jokes and the generous salting of real names in the script. Reynolds' character can't resist the wise bon mot, even when faced with a situation that calls for real emotion. The picture made some money, but those wishing to get the full benefit of the story should see the play. It's running somewhere at all times. leave a comment
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