The Lady Eve

Play trailer

The Lady Eve

1941

1h 37m

Romance

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

104 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

It's no accident when wealthy Charles falls for Jean. Jean is a con artist with her sights set on Charles' fortune. Matters complicate when Jean starts falling for her mark. When Charles suspects Jean is a gold digger, he dumps her. Jean, fixated on revenge and still pining for the millionaire, devises a plan to get back in Charles' life. With love and payback on her mind, she re-introduces herself to Charles, this time as an aristocrat named Lady Eve Sidwich.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

A career highlight for Preston Sturges, The Lady Eve benefits from Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda's sparkling chemistry -- and a script that inspired countless battle-of-the-sexes comedies.

Read Critics Reviews

Otis Ferguson

The New Republic

12/29/2022

Some of it is slapstick; a little of it is impossible the wrong way; but in general its pleasures come from the characters as found.

Go to Full Review

Ida Belle Hicks

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

12/29/2022

The Lady Eve cinches Sturges as an important personality in films... It is highly entertaining movie fare -- the kind that keeps the box offices busy.

Go to Full Review

Mildred Martin

Philadelphia Inquirer

12/29/2022

[The Lady Eve] is by all odds the best and breeziest thing at which Sturges has turned an impish hand and an equally impish pen.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Feb 15

3.5/4

A riotous screwball classic.

Go to Full Review

Julian Singleton

Cinapse

07/12/2025

Sturges’ screenplay unfurls with fiendish glee through its brisk 90-minute runtime, and gives each character big and small a feast of comedic scenery to chew on.

Go to Full Review

Rachel Wagner

Hallmarkies Podcast

04/07/2025

A very silly comedy but a lot of fun

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Ed .

@RT01276001 Aug 22

Classic comedy - one of the very best ever made. Imagine the gall it would take, after getting dumped once discovered to be a fraud... to then invite yourself to a party he is hosting in his house... pretending to be someone completely different... despite looking no different at all - and succeeding! Chutzpah!

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 06/07/2025

Success in 1 hour and 37 minutes.

See more

Will G

@Wgoodeve 01/17/2025

A great classic film! The acting performances were nice. Henry Fonda from “12 Angry Men” we’re in it. This is a romance story about a couple who meets on a cruise. There’s also an actress from Double Indemnity.

See more

Jeremy O

@RT66281026 12/16/2024

Barbara Stanwyck carried this movie. Highly entertaining and definitely a must-watch BW flick.

See more

Isaiah Y

@zayman2 11/03/2024

One of Preston Sturges best films with great performances from Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda

See more

Kristin R

@RT91263800 08/23/2023

Super lame. How could a man be so stupid?

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Preston Sturges

Director

Barbara Stanwyck

Jean Harrington

Henry Fonda

Charles Pike

Charles Coburn

"Colonel" Harrington

Eugene Pallette

Horace Pike

William Demarest

Muggsy (Ambrose Murgatroyd)

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Not Over a Sofa!

1:05

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - She Knows His Type

2:17

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Father Loves to Lose

2:41

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - An Ideal Mate

2:27

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Positively the Same Dame!

2:22

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - What a Friend!

2:39

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - I Like Him, Too

2:28

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Who's Emma?

1:36

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Hello, Hopsie!

2:33

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Charles Meets The Lady Eve

1:58

View more videos

Road to Singapore

100%

67%

Road to Singapore

Watchlist

Roman Holiday

97%

93%

Roman Holiday

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Roman Holiday

Houseboat

55%

71%

Houseboat

Watchlist

Love Crazy

100%

83%

Love Crazy

Watchlist

Breakfast at Tiffany's

87%

91%

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Breakfast at Tiffany's

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Know Your Critic: Rolling Stone Senior Editor David Fear

R.L. Stine’s Five Favorite Films

Jim Broadbent’s Five Favorite Films

View more photos

Synopsis

It's no accident when wealthy Charles falls for Jean. Jean is a con artist with her sights set on Charles' fortune. Matters complicate when Jean starts falling for her mark. When Charles suspects Jean is a gold digger, he dumps her. Jean, fixated on revenge and still pining for the millionaire, devises a plan to get back in Charles' life. With love and payback on her mind, she re-introduces herself to Charles, this time as an aristocrat named Lady Eve Sidwich.

Director: Preston Sturges
Producer: Paul Jones
Screenwriter: Monckton Hoffe, Preston Sturges
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 25, 1941, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2014
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.37:1)