Review of Lover Come Back (1961) by Adam C — 14 Jun 2010

I don't think there is a more hair brained and dated romantic comedy I have seen n some time. But thats what I liked about it. The film is absolutely preposterous and seems to be in a world all of its own.

How refreshing it was though. The insanity and loose attitude of the film proved to be charming. The film also is a great time capsule for the sexual and cultural ideals of the early 1960's. This film is also about advertising firms, so in many ways its like a comedy version of Mad Men.

I think this film may be funnier now then when in came out because of how it encapsulated a period in time so well. In many ways it also was rather risky for a fluffy romantic comedy. What also makes the film so appealing, even with its faults, is the great acting.

Hudson and Day are a great screen couple and play off each other very well. The two are the quintessential romantic couple of their era. That being said, the really impressive performance of the film belongs to the hilarious Tony Randall.

There is not a scene he does not steal and he gives a comic performance to behold. His timing is perfect and his line deliveries are deadly funny. Randall is the glue that holds a lot of the film together and provides some big laughs.

His introduction alone is worth seeing the film. As enjoyable as the film was though, the ending falls apart in this film. It seems like they just could not find a way to level out the story and bring it back to earth.

All together Lover Come Back is a film with its problems, but it seems like those problems get washed away with the films charm and some strong performances.