Review of Father Goose (1964) by Shiela E — 20 Jul 2011
It kills me that this delightful romantic comedy was not Cary Grant's swan song instead of the "bridge too far" that was Walk, Don't Run. He was simply fantastic in this as the boozed-up former history professor Walter Eckland caught up in the early chaos of the War in the Pacific.
Though it's impossible for Grant to truly shed his innate elegance, he does "besotted" and "grungy" well enough for this. Leslie Caron is a hoot as the matron for a parcel of schoolgirls dropped in Grant's lap.
The highlight for me, though, is Trevor Howard as Grant's Royal Navy overseer, who expertly manipulates the irascible Eckland and provides some of the funniest moments, even though the majority of his scenes are him in one room talking on the radio.
If you can buy into the relationship arc between Grant and Caron, which culminates in a rather clumsy reversal, then the film will win you over. Get stuck on the admittedly precipitous leap and the rest will crumble before your eyes.
I bought it, and gladly.
This review of Father Goose (1964) was written by Shiela E on 20 Jul 2011.
Father Goose has generally received very positive reviews.
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