I am a big fan of Fred Astaire films. His style, his grace and his real likability make him one of my favorites. Yet, oddly, he plays a guy here who is a huge departure--a man you really want to hate. Because of this and a few plot problems, I wasn't especially fond of this film.
Fred plays a man who has been divorced (from Lilli Palmer) for many years. During the intervening years, he's barely ever seen their daughter (Debbie Reynolds). Yet, oddly, just as the daughter is about to get married, Astaire shows up and makes himself very much at home in the fancy townhouse owned by his ex- and her new husband (Gary Merrill). Seeing Astaire behaving as if it was his home as he started rearranging furniture taking over Merrill's study was amazingly obnoxious--and you couldn't help but hate him. Not surprisingly, it seemed as if he's come to try to throw a wrench into the works--and lots of chaos ensues.
At this point, the plot does become a bit creepy. Debbie Reynolds' character has MAJOR daddy issues and could use about a decade of psychotherapy to work these out properly. In fact, my mother-in-law and I watched the film and felt this was REALLY creepy. At times, it sure seemed like Freud's Electra Complex was going strong! Eww!! It also is a problematic plot because Astaire's character really is a jerk--and you cannot like him. In fact this is THE single biggest problem with the film. As you don't like him in the least and Reynolds' character has a VERY unhealthy attraction to her long-lost dad, the film just left me very flat...and creeped out beyond reason! Overall, not a particularly good film--one that SHOULD have been a lot better.
Fred plays a man who has been divorced (from Lilli Palmer) for many years. During the intervening years, he's barely ever seen their daughter (Debbie Reynolds). Yet, oddly, just as the daughter is about to get married, Astaire shows up and makes himself very much at home in the fancy townhouse owned by his ex- and her new husband (Gary Merrill). Seeing Astaire behaving as if it was his home as he started rearranging furniture taking over Merrill's study was amazingly obnoxious--and you couldn't help but hate him. Not surprisingly, it seemed as if he's come to try to throw a wrench into the works--and lots of chaos ensues.
At this point, the plot does become a bit creepy. Debbie Reynolds' character has MAJOR daddy issues and could use about a decade of psychotherapy to work these out properly. In fact, my mother-in-law and I watched the film and felt this was REALLY creepy. At times, it sure seemed like Freud's Electra Complex was going strong! Eww!! It also is a problematic plot because Astaire's character really is a jerk--and you cannot like him. In fact this is THE single biggest problem with the film. As you don't like him in the least and Reynolds' character has a VERY unhealthy attraction to her long-lost dad, the film just left me very flat...and creeped out beyond reason! Overall, not a particularly good film--one that SHOULD have been a lot better.