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Movies / On DVD / The Awful Truth
The Awful Truth

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The Awful Truth (1937)

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Reviews Counted:23

Fresh:21

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.9/10

Consensus: Great comic direction by Leo McCarrey and memorable onscreen chemistry from stars Cary Grant and Irene Dunne make this screwball comedy a charmer.

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: In one of the supreme screwball comedies, young husband and wife Jerry and Lucy (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, respectively), suspicious that the other is having an affair, start divorce proceedings... In one of the supreme screwball comedies, young husband and wife Jerry and Lucy (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, respectively), suspicious that the other is having an affair, start divorce proceedings and see each other only when Jerry visits their dog, who is held in joint custody. As Lucy shows signs of falling for her oil-tycoon neighbor, Jerry goes to outrageous lengths to break them up. And Jerry's own whirlwind courtship of a social darling hits snags as Lucy pretends to be his inebriated showgirl sister during Jerry's meeting with his girlfriend's parents. Stuck in an isolated cabin the eve their divorce becomes final, Lucy and Jerry discover the awful truth that they still love each other. The wonderful Leo McCarey directed THE AWFUL TRUTH, which was based on the 1922 play by Arthur Richman. [More]

Starring: Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy, Cecil Cunningham

Starring: Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy, Cecil Cunningham, Mary Forbes, Alex D'Arcy, Joyce Compton, Molly Lamont, Esther Dale

Director: Leo McCarey

Director: Leo McCarey
Screenwriter: Vina Delmar
Producer: Leo McCarey

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Mar 11, 2003

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Awful Truth

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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A joy.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/27/08
Channel 4 Film

Leo McCarey's largely improvised 1937 film is one of the funniest of the screwball comedies, and also one of the most serious at heart.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
05/27/08
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...has earned its reputation as one of the most effective screwball comedies from the 1930s.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
04/10/07
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

One of the best screwball comedies (of remarriage) ever made, based on the astute mise-en-scene of director Leo McCarey (who won an Oscar) and superb turns from Cary Grant and Irene Dunne as the sparrying partners who go to court over their dog (Asta).

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
11/09/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Zappy, sophisticated screwball comedy with Grant and Dunne displaying perfect timing.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

The look of love [Grant] gives co-star Irene Dunne, captured not in a close-up but a medium-wide shot, could melt anyone.

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
02/17/06
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com

One should be rooting for Cary Grant to get the girl, which means he ought to deserve her — and if that's more or less the case here, well, it's only because the girl turns out to be no great shakes either.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
02/10/06
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

A smart screwball comedy from the 1930s that's given the Lubitsch touch by director Leo McCarey.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/07/06
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Its sophistication convinced the Academy that it was more than "just" a comedy and they awarded McCarey the Best Director Oscar

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
12/06/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
10/30/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Episodic but sublime screwball comedy, with Grant and Dunne at their most alluring.

comment Comment
08/16/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

No review available.

comment Comment
07/05/03
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

To be frank, The Awful Truth is awfully unimportant, but it is also one of the more laughable screen comedies of 1937, a fairly good vintage year.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/21/03
B.R. Crisler
B.R. Crisler
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As pleasurable as anything a Hollywood studio and the star system ever produced.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
04/04/03
Elbert Ventura
Elbert Ventura
PopMatters

Cary Grant ... delivers one of the greatest comic performances we'll ever have the pleasure of witnessing.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
03/26/03
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

This comedy is a hilarious match-up between Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, with the wonderful Ralph Bellamy cast in his pigeonholed role as the fifth wheel.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Brilliant romantic comedy from Leo McCarey

comment Comment
08/26/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
07/29/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A superbly lighthearted production, and the epitome of 1930s screwball comedies.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
TV Guide's Movie Guide
 
 
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