Thursday Romantic Comedy Classic

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Thursday Romantic Comedy Classic. I’m taking a course called The Romantic Comedy where we’re charting the history and development of romantic comedies from the 1920s to the present. We’ll be watching some pretty iconic films, some of which I haven’t seen before. Each week, I’ll be providing a short review of one romantic comedy classic from the annals of history.

It Happened One Night
Directed by Frank Capra
Released February 23, 1934

This film bears the distinct honor of being one of only three movies to take home the top five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay (along with “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “The Silence of the Lambs”). It’s fitting that this film won those specific awards, because its success really is due to the smartness of the script, the eye and mind of the director, and the chemistry of the lead performers. Clark Gable is irritating but charming as a reporter looking for his next big scoop, and Claudette Colbert is equally annoying but quite hilarious as the heiress who crosses paths with him. Their initial mutual dislike is a common element seen in many romantic comedies of the time, and it plays out perfectly here as Peter (Gable) and Ellie (Colbert) banter continuously and just can’t seem to get along. Their increasingly frequent misadventures imply that they are destined for something more, and the film provides a fittingly amusing conclusion that wouldn’t necessarily be termed a traditionally “neat” ending. The bickering between Gable and Colbert is thoroughly entertaining, and it’s the two of them who really make the most of every scene in the film. They both know so well how to play off of each other, and seeing the two of them light up the screen together is a delight.

B+