There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Copyright 25 May 1938 by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. New York release at the Radio City Music Hall, 11 August 1938. U.S. release: 3 September 1938. 10 reels. 91 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Flynn's character was based on the real life Ivy Ledbetter Lee, a colorful publicist who died in 1934. In the film he is a press agent who is pursuing an eccentric millionaire, John P. Dillingwell. The millionaire has a grand-daughter. But the grand- daughter is engaged to the press agent's boss!COMMENT: Despite a somewhat talky script, this is an absolutely delightful comedy. Curtiz gets around the excessive talk by directing the whole show at a whirlwind pace. Flynn shows a real flair for comedy and delivers wisecracks and snaps with all the skilled timing of a professional farceur. Curtiz cracks on the pace not only by having all the players deliver their lines 1½ times as fast as normal but by using extremely fast tracking shots, whip pans and such sharp-as-a-tack film editing that if you blink you miss a whole camera set-up. The dizzying tracking shots following the speeding model trains have to be seen to be believed — the tracks must have been laid across a whole sound stage — and the punchy editing in these sequences make them a classic of their kind. (The film is an absolute MUST for model train buffs).The episode with the two trains is re-staged with two speeding taxi-cabs for the film's climax — less effectively because obviously utilizing the process screen though Curtiz tries to minimize the effect of this faking by fast pacing and cutting and some outrageous near-misses as the characters lean out the windows. There's even a Curtiz signature shot in the middle of the film as the shadow of the guard rises on the wall above the staircase in Connolly's mansion.As a publicity agent who "plays hopscotch from one double-cross to another", Flynn is in absolutely marvelous form. His entrance is delayed for a couple of scenes but once on-camera, he creams the rest of the cast — only Connolly is his match. The scene in which he juggles both De Havilland and Russell on the telephone (mostly filmed in one take and ending with a clever 3-way divided screen, the De Havilland and Russell segments of which dissolve to pick up and track in to a close-up of Flynn as the scene ends) had me in hysterics. Flynn's encounters with all the dogs (both Connolly's and De Hav's) are also most amusing, despite some obvious trickery with a speeded- up camera and a fake doggy tail (which Flynn bites). Flynn is in fine shape — that's really him doing all the running and taking those falls and balancing on the window-ledge two flights up — no wonder he didn't want to work with Curtiz again. Charming, debonair, witty, fast-talking, it's hard to imagine anyone else who could've played the role with such ease and effectiveness while fully retaining audience identification and sympathy. Aside from Connolly, the rest of the players are no match for Flynn. Patric Knowles is way out-classed but De Havilland and Russell are in there pitching (Russell can walk fast and talk fast — a good warm-up for His Girl Friday). (Another odd thing is that with its polio references the film foreshadows Russell's Sister Kenny). A great support cast headed by Melville Cooper and Franklin Pangborn and especially Spencer Charters (love him being locked out in the rain — you can catch his forlorn face staring through the glass at the back of a couple of shots). Margaret Hamilton has little to do and Carole Landis is far in the background.Curtiz stages the scenes not only so they play fast but they look attractive and are most skilfully composed. He even cleverly experiments with having the players lean at an angle — which is highly amusing. And he has all the usual Warner Bros. lavishness with sets and hordes of scurrying extras to back up all this pictorial richness.

Four's a Crowd? Yes, it is - though if there is a reason why this Michael Curtiz comedy is not better known, it is overstuffing rather than overcrowding. Errol Flynn is perfectly cast as a suave public relations man who secretly destroys a wealthy man's reputation in order to get employed by the man to improve his public image. This promising plot is, however, complicated by a newspaper being shut down, a vindictive female reporter and the ditzy granddaughter of the rich man being slandered - a young lady dating the man in charge of the paper. If this was not complex enough, the film is too reliant on fast talking dialogue for one to discern every scheme afoot. The movie is consequently at its best in its minimal dialogue scenes. The wealthy man has a gigantic model train set that needs to be seen to be believed and a surprisingly large amount of comic mileage is derived from Flynn constantly being chased by dogs. A pre-'His Girl Friday' Rosalind Russell gives the most curious performance though, spurting rapid-fire dialogue while playing a female reporter not far removed from her character in the Hawks comedy. It is also interesting to see Olivia de Havilland cast against type as the ditzy granddaughter, though she admittedly does not quite fit the bill. Casting aside, it is debatable how much interest 'Four's a Crowd' will have to the average viewer. The film certainly tries to make a lot out of the two lots of couples with seemingly interchangeable romantic interest partners, but the film is at its strongest when at its simplest with Flynn's cunning plan to destroy then rebuild a potential client.

What a wonderful cast this 1938 Warner Brothers film has. It's too bad it didn't have a script to match the 1936 MGM blockbuster that this movie seems to copy. William Powell, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy were the mainliners of "Libeled Lady" of 1936. Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell and Patric Knowles have the similar parts in this film. But the scripts are a huge difference in the two films. The script of "Libeled Lady" is excellent, original and ingenious. The script of "Four's a Crowd" is terrible, and drags the entire film down. There are so many fast scenes, sudden changes, and quick diversions here, that the movie has almost no cohesion. It comes across as a montage of a couple dozen sketches pieced together on film. Most of the reviewers of this movie to date seem to be of the same mind about the incoherence of the plot. I was surprised to find one though, who differed. I note this only because that is one of a few frequent reviewers whom I always look for and whose comments I usually enjoy. I often agree with that reviewer, and even when I don't, I usually learn something new or interesting that I wasn't aware of before. Or, I get a different take that I hadn't considered. But, in this case, that reviewer thought this film to be better than the 1936 movie. The screenplay here lacks any funny dialog. The film is all situational, and much of the humor is lost because of the fast, disconnected pace. Unless Warner Brothers thought people would consider the repetitive deceptions by Errol Flynn's character, Bob Lansford, to be humorous. My rating of six stars for this film is based solely on the performances of the cast. All are quite good. Flynn's comedic situations are very amusing, and this film clearly shows that he can do comedy routines – if not comedy dialog. Russell and Knowles are very good. Walter Connolly, who frequently plays these types of roles, I think excels as the cantankerous J.P. Dillingwell, who relishes being regarded as the most hated man in America. And, Olivia de Havilland is exceptional in her role. She sparkles as Lorri Dillingwell, and shows that she can match the best of comical females as a ditzy dame. For the life of me, I can't understand why one or two people might think she was wasted in tackling such an unusually different role. I think it further proves her depth and ability as an actress. Comedies often include nonsensical stuff. But we audiences need to be able to follow the details in order to appreciate and enjoy the humor. Here's an example, toward the end of the movie, of how this movie losses viewers. Lansford asks Jean Christy (played by Russell) if she would marry Patterson Buckley (played by Knowles) if she could. She says something like "you can bet I would." So, Lansford tells her to tell Buckley that he, Lansford is in love with her. He says that Buckley will then propose to her. Later she does that and sure enough, Buckley proposes. She is floored and comments on Lansford as a genius psychologist. Later, the two couples are together and go to a justice of the peace to get married – Bob to Lorri and Jean to Buckley. Some slightly humorous confusion takes place with the foursome and the JP and his wife. Then the foursome simply change partners and Bob and Jean wed, and Lorri and Buckley wed. So, Jean didn't want to marry Buckley after all – but Bob instead? Were these the right matches, or weren't they? Or, maybe that's supposed to be part of the humor?

I am a little bias to anything in the classic era of film and by classic era I mean anything from 1930 to 1948. But this movie is a real treasure. Not only do you have the irreplaceable team of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in Four's a Crowd, there is a bonus of Rosalind Russell.Mr. Flynn plays a different role than we usually see him in. He is still ever so charming but this time he has traded his sword for a desk. Miss De Havilland refreshes us with a comedic role. Anyone who says this limits her acting ability is completely wrong. Comedy requires a certain amount of skill and she nails her role. Roz Russell fulfills in her character everything her followers like to see her as, a witty newspaper woman. Of course she is capable of playing other parts well but she plays these woman the best. Walter Connolly plays the high-strung,stubborn patriarch like always. In the End the all get married to each other (there's another guy) but you'll have to watch it to see whom to who.