Pretty Good

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

What a beautiful, little-known piece this is. It deserves several viewings to appreciate all the nuances. Pay close attention to all that fast dialogue at the beginning, because the light banter turns to deep philosophical musing soon enough.What is there left to live for if you are far into retirement and your most beloved family members have predeceased you? How important are friendships in this case, inter-generational or otherwise? Is education a pointless luxury if you're down-and-out, expectant parents struggling even to get a roof over your heads?One key scene, for me, was the one in which the adopted Grandpa and Dad-to-be struggle to assemble some IKEA-type baby furniture together. Here we have the older generation, that had known pre-mass consumerism, when you sent off to the local craftsman for bespoke pieces. The prefab furniture here seems to symbolize the ever-widening cracks in the small, tight-knit communities that once existed. The younger generation is just as confused as the elder, trying to follow the cookie-cutter guide and match dowel RB to hole LT with screw B1. It's a touching tableau depicting young and old struggling to help each other make sense of a confusing, new reality.

I watched this twice on cable. I really liked the contrasts. I loved the way the young students respected the professors and elders in general, and co-existed with them -- not just barely tolerated them. Also, just simple common sense was so pleasant to see. No "major plot twists" with contrived "stupidity". By stupidity, I mean the typical, "such as turning your back on a bad guy", or when teens are in a house that has a known killer in it, and the kids decide to split-up to find him, and then get picked off one at a time. Needless to say, there is no "bad guy" or "killer" in this movie, but there are a couple of things that happen, and common sense not only wins out, but was also present from the beginning. Also, the hardship of a housing shortage just after World War II versus the desire for a college education. Despite that obstacle and other obstacles, these "young" adults were adult about overcoming their problems, most of the time. Also, I liked that Peggy established a lecture (series?) for the wives of students when she discovered that many wives felt left out of their husbands lives due to lack of formal education. The women weren't dumb, just hadn't been exposed to the same ideas. And a note to teens of today, yes, there was a time that many students were husbands/men and wives were in a secondary position. I found the movie very uplifting, amusing and well acted.

Jeanne Crain is a breathlessly talkative expectant mother who lives with her husband, a former soldier, in a trailer; she chances to meet retired professor Edmund Gwenn, who feels his mundane, monotone existence means retreating from this world, but he goes along with her plan to let the couple temporarily move into his attic. The perfect example of what they used to call 'whimsical comedy'; despite a clumsy start, it still seems heartfelt today, perhaps even meaningful. Gwenn conveys the most complex emotions simply by wordless expression, and Crain's exuberance grows on you (she's better though in her quieter moments). With these two front and center, William Holden ends up playing third wheel, but his solid, masculinely amiable presence is a nice counterpoint to kooky Crain and he also has some fine scenes alone with Gwenn. The gentlemen in Gwenn's musical troupe are all wonderful, and the writing and direction, while primed for audience approval, genuinely work wonders with what might've been a stale set-up. This tear-jerker is a true gem. ***1/2 from ****

Wonderful movie set in the post-World War II period. Prof. Henry Barnes (Edmund Gwenn) is a widowed professor living in a large faculty house, and wishing death would end his lonely existence. Peggy is the bride of a WWII veteran, one of many attending college under the GI Bill. Post-war housing is at a premium,, especially for struggling Vets, but someone remembers that Prof. Barnes had an extra room, and sends Peggy to see if she can rent it. The Prof. Barnes' protests are overwhelmed by Peggy's determination to make a real home for her husband, and soon the professor has a family of sorts. Great period piece, with many warm characters. Strong performances by Gwenn and Crain. Also serves as an excellent illustration of "The Greatest Generation" right after they came home and began settling back into society.Another wonderful movie that should have been made into a video and DVD long ago.