Review of The Awful Truth (1937) by Mike L — 01 Sep 2012

Two of the greats from the 30's, Dunne and Grant, match wits and fast-talking through this comedy about love and marriage. Grant and Dunne play a married couple who have a distrust of each other and go through a divorce with Mr.

Smith, Asta from The Thin Man series, as the object that both want to symbolize what is right and wrong in their divorce. Mr. Smith is a dog and his use as the comic distraction during the film is a subtle use of "man's best friend.

" Ralph Bellamy plays the second fiddle with his usual innocence and naivety while trying to bat above his average with Dunne. This becomes a film about class and culture, with Dunne and Grant playing the NYC sophisticates and Bellamy, his family, and Daisy Mae playing the country innocents and how those differences can attract and repel.

Dunne is outstanding as she tries to remain disinterested in Grant while trying to flirt with Bellamy playing them both against each other and maintaining a very natural actor position in range and emotion in what has to be one of the better acting performances in history of film.

Grant in his usual perfect performance is just as comfortable playing a foil to Dunne as he is as the leading man. In what started out as an equal casting between Dunne and Grant, as the movie progresses it becomes Dunne's film as she goes from neglected housewife to flirt to comedian to compassionate woman with her expression and vocal range making a perfect pitch.