The Tender Trap Reviews

Pleasant but unspectacular comedy, Celeste Holm and David Wayne are wonderful and Sinatra is fine but Debbie's character is annoying and someone who anyone with any sense would run away from quickly.

If nothing else, the film should be seen for its iconic first two minutes, where, from out of a blue-sky backdrop, swaggers Sinatra - draped in sharkskin, tipped fedora and Cinemascope - hands in pockets, staking his claim on Cahn/VanHeusen's title tune.

Here, Frank's signature style is on full on show and at its best.

'The tender trap' is, of course, love and marriage. And Frank's been meticulously sidestepping it in favor of his harem-like, 24/7-swingin', ring-a-ding-dingin' Manhattan bachelor pad - until stubborn, altar-focused Debbie Reynolds turns up toting small-town naivete and expectations that Frank cough up a ring and his little black book.

Sinatra and married wingman (Wayne) role-swap: Frank's got Debbie under his skin, Wayne's a-wooin' Frank's pick-of-the-litter (Holm). Holm's of sharp wit/word; she knows the rules of the mid-Century marriage game better than them all.

Throw in a few trivial subplots and soon enough, there's an engagement, a marriage or a break-up every sixty seconds. When the game of musical chairs ends, love has conquered all.

From a long-running Broadway play. Not quite the Doris Day sex-comedy, but clearly foreshadows & inspires them: Debbie's the lone 'good girl' in the dugout, Wayne's the foil that is Frank's conscience, positions later held by Tony Randall and Gig Young.

Snappy/witty dialogue abounds - "How much money you makin?" "Almost as much as I'm spending." - "I've seen you somewhere before." "It's just this face of mine, it's what every girl is wearing this season." Plus there's dramatic sprinkles on the cone in the form of (well-dated) volleys on topics such as marriage versus career, girlie versus wife, playboy versus husband. In this film, such sprinkles are often the better part of the cone.

RECOMMENDATION: Captures well the time. Well recommended for those who appreciate the period/genre.

Very enjoyable film, one of Frank Sinatra's best romantic comedies. Debbie Reynolds is delightful. But it's David Wayne and Celeste Holm that steal the film from the leads. Good title song.

Cute movie that portrays the dating scene in NYC in the 50s. Here you have a young lady (Reynolds) whose desire to marry is much stronger than her desire to have a career. Things begin to muddy when she falls in love with an older bachelor (Sinatra) who is enjoying his single status and is used to dating a different woman every night. Meanwhile his best friend, who has been married for 11 years, is envious of his freedom but soon finds out that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. You also have a good woman who is still single in her thirties who struggles to find love with someone who is relatively sane. In some ways things haven't changed too much. Men still aspire to date lots of women and women are generally still looking for Mr. Right. At the end of the day they both find out that it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Just saw this on television today. I love movies of the 40's, 50's and some of the 60's movies. "The Tender Trap" is a well done piece of the 50's.

Frank Sinatra plays a playboy in Manhattan (really, Frank a playboy?), who has a young lady for every night of the week, but falls for one that he winds up not able to have (Julie, played well by Debbie Reynolds).

It's nothing spectacular or extraordinary, but it's extremely enjoyable nonetheless. Fans of Sinatra will enjoy it especially, but the non-fans may not have as much fun. There's not much going on here, but the story is actually fairly interesting and keeps you watching. There's nothing bad you can really say about it aside from it being rather ordinary, but there's nothing that will really ruin your experience. So, you're guaranteed to enjoy.

I enjoyed the Tender Trap because it showed the glamor of New York in the mid-1950s. Frank Sinatra and Debbie Reynolds had great chemistry together. Celeste Holm was excellent as Sylvia Crewes. The script is witty and fun. The music is also great. Charles Walters did an amazing job directing this film. The Tender Trap is a must see.

Very enjoyable film, one of Frank Sinatra's best romantic comedies. Debbie Reynolds is delightful. But it's David Wayne and Celeste Holm that steal the film from the leads. Good title song.