It's Love I'm After

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It's Love I'm After

1937

1h 30m

Comedy

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4 Reviews

82%

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250+ Ratings

Despite constant bickering on and off stage, Shakespearean actors Basil Underwood (Leslie Howard) and Joyce Arden (Bette Davis) intend to marry after their closing performance in "Romeo and Juliet." But following the show, debutante Marcia West (Olivia de Havilland), smitten by Basil's interpretation of Romeo, visits backstage to declare him the perfect man for her. Basil is initially flattered by her attentions, which enrages Joyce -- until they both find Marcia more than they can handle.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 16

2.5/4

Three heavyweights receive above-the-title billing in this trifling comedy, although it’s a supporting actor who swipes the picture from the all-stars.

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Meyer Levin (Patterson Murphy)

Esquire Magazine

04/17/2020

A different Leslie Howard and a quite different Bette Davis in a larking farce about an actor's loves.

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Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

07/19/2019

The earlier sequences of It's Love I'm After are funny and bright, but the story material, never very substantial, is spun out a trifle thin before the end.

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Raquel Stecher

Out of the Past

08/24/2018

A zany film with lots of great witty one-liners and insults. Come for Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland and stay for Eric Blore.

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Alain E

@AlainE Aug 23

The opening scenes are very strong, well acted and photographed. Then it petered out. At 30 minutes I turned it off.

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Horror fan 4

May 6

I absolutely loved this movie. Digges was my favorite character and the chemistry between all the characters was top notch. Tim Treakle

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Kalissa H

@kali_416 May 2

It’s so funny, but not in a cheesy way. I quite enjoyed it.

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Stuart G

01/10/2025

I was most happy that TCM aired this seldom shown gem. I must say that I'm not a fan of Betty Davis, although in her early work, as this is, she can be bright and witty. She definitely keeps up with this clever and fast-moving story. Leslie Howard has a blast, romping through this hammy role, and all seem to appreciate being in this sophisticated farce. (Not to overlook a delicious very early De Haveland.) Catch it if you can, because it will be a long while before it reappears.

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Steve D

01/01/2024

Fun thanks to a great cast.

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05/17/2021

Davis and Howard's last pairing and de Havilland's first partnership with Howard. Of course, it's not Best Picture winner Gone With the Wind (1939) or the career-kickstarting Of Human Bondage (1934), but It's Love I'm After holds its own and does its job well. Howard is the star of the show as an arrogant actor quick to dismiss his conscience with a disdainful "Digges" (Eric Blore steals the show, by the way). I found Davis and de Havilland surprisingly forgettable, but they didn't detract from the picture. A wonderful comedy that was unfairly brushed under the rug.

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Archie Mayo

Director

Leslie Howard

Basil Underwood

Bette Davis

Joyce Arden

Olivia de Havilland

Marcia West

Patric Knowles

Henry Grant

Eric Blore

Digges

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Synopsis

Despite constant bickering on and off stage, Shakespearean actors Basil Underwood (Leslie Howard) and Joyce Arden (Bette Davis) intend to marry after their closing performance in "Romeo and Juliet." But following the show, debutante Marcia West (Olivia de Havilland), smitten by Basil's interpretation of Romeo, visits backstage to declare him the perfect man for her. Basil is initially flattered by her attentions, which enrages Joyce -- until they both find Marcia more than they can handle.

Director: Archie Mayo
Producer: Harry Joe Brown, Hal B. Wallis
Screenwriter: Casey Robinson
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): May 5, 2009
Runtime: 1h 30m

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