The More the Merrier

THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943) - Aug. 5, 2007
A delightful romantic comedy about a woman who, during the housing shortage during WWII, takes in two lodgers -- a older man and a younger man; the older man subsequently decides to play Cupid for the woman and the younger man. Though it was probably more enjoyable during the wackier first half (a sequence in which the older man tries to prevent the other two from seeing each other was a highlight), that's a minor complaint, as it was quite entertaining throughout. Joel McCrea and Jean Arthur were both very good and had definite chemistry as the couple, and Charles Coburn was just as good as the older matchmaker. I think contemporary directors need to take a closer look at films from the '30s and '40s, because they really knew how to do romantic comedies back then. ***1/2