Purely Joyful Movie!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

for the self irony of Dietrich performance. for the nice story and air of far age of cinema. for inspired cast. and, sure, for the respect for recipes of romantic comedy. it is not a link from chain of fashion of art. few sparkles, a seductive Dietrich, mixture of love balloons and fine humor, the dramatic small slice and the touching solutions to create identity in a ocean of clones, all is good reason to see it and, in a measure or other, to love it. because it is almost magic like many films from that period. because the acting is smart and the game of nuances not uninspired. because, after war of blockbusters, this film has the gift to be comfortable. and for occasion to travel in time. and discover than life is beautiful.

This is one of those escapist, nonsensical, utterly unrealistic and yes, downright silly movies from a time when the world was anxious. Europe was under Nazi occupation and the US was contemplating its own role in the conflict. Hollywood had become very good at giving Americans just this kind of comic relief. So why should anyone bother with it? Because despite all the silliness the four leads manage to pull it off with great aplomb. Marlene Dietrich is just as exotic and glamorous as she was in 'The Blue Angel' if not more so. She was forty and a show-stopper without compare. How could Fred MacMurray help himself but fall for her. His role here is an early version of his absent-minded professor. And the supporting leads, Aline MacMahon and Stanley Ridges, are equally good and fun to watch. So sit back and enjoy the show!

This is a strange film due to its bizarro plot as well as its odd casting of Marlene Dietrich in, of all things, a screwball comedy!! It's actually hard to think of an actress of the day LESS suited for such a film, as her glamorous persona seemed out of place here.The film begins with a famous stage actress (Dietrich) coming home with a baby she just 'picked up' on the way home!! She is very blasé about it and eventually gets around to telling her housekeeping staff and assistant how she came upon the child. It seems that a child had been abandoned and a policeman had asked her, a passerby, to hold the baby for a moment. However, she was so captivated by it that she couldn't stand the idea of it going to an orphanage--so she just took it home and didn't bother telling anyone!! This sort of nuttiness is apparently the norm for Dietrich's character. She apparently has had a string of quickie marriages, spends far more than she earns and seems to have the motherly instincts of a 2 year-old. And, speaking of 2 year-olds, daffy Marlene calls the doctor (Fred MacMurray) for no reason in particular. When he asks how old the child is, she says "about 2 years-old"--and kid is clearly around 6-8 months old! Now HOW daffy Marlene's character acts would have been a stretch for any actress. She seemed frivolous and stupid even compared to the one played by Katherine Hepburn in "Bringing Up Baby"!!! So, from the outset, the writing really was a let-down for Dietrich. And having the romance eventually occur between the very level-headed baby-hating doctor (MacMurray) and her made zero sense! Overall, the film seems to be the epitome of the word 'contrived'. While there are lots of good moments and the germ of a good story here, the whole thing just never gels--it just doesn't ring true or work. It also doesn't help that the film goes from wacky to a bit maudlin and deadly serious late in the film! While the film is enjoyable if you turn off your brain, you really, really need to keep that brain in neutral throughout to enjoy the movie.

The Lady is Willing is a disappointing film. It stars Marlene Dietrich as an actress who finds an abandoned baby and decides to take him home. She soon discovers, however, that she can't adopt the baby because she's not married. So she enters into a marriage of convenience with baby doctor Fred MacMurray. Predictable complications then ensue, but this is a comedy without any big laughs. But, the stars are watchable and quite good, considering the material. Dietrich, surprisingly, had a flair for light comedy. All in all, a 4 out of 10.