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Easy Living
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by Universal Studios
Sales Rank: 2031
Price: $14.98
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Of all the screenplays Preston Sturges wrote for Paramount before becoming the greatest comic director of his generation, 1937's <I>Easy Living</I> seems the most like something he would have filmed himself--a satirical fable about chance, class, and the absurdity of the American dream. Jean Arthur is a New York secretary riding to work atop a double-decker bus when a fur coat miraculously descends from the sky and settles on her shoulders. The fur, however, has not dropped from Olympus but from the hand of a millionaire (Edward Arnold) who has just tossed it from a nearby roof to punish his wife. But as if it were a magic fleece (the mythical reference is almost certainly intended by the erudite Sturges), it makes its wearer invincible, conferring an aura of prosperity, celebrity, and power on the previously average working girl. No folk tale is complete without a prince: Sturges's is the millionaire's son, Ray Milland, who is trying to pass as an apprentice stockbroker. Directed with a light, elegant touch by Mitchell Leisen, the film lacks the crazy energy it would have had under Sturges's own hand, but this remains one of the great screwball comedies (in a year that also saw <I>The Awful Truth</I> and <I>Nothing Sacred</I>). <I>--Dave Kehr</I>
Viewer Reviews
This is a great little film that shows how clever and funny some of the old 39's and 40's movies can be. With a cast of actors that frequented movies by classy directors like Capra and Sturges, the movie has all the pieces to make a successful romp.
This is definitely slapstick, and if you get squeamish with scenes of total destruction, there will be a time or two when you will want to close your eyes! However, I am not a fan of that type of destruction, and I thought the movie was terrific. Jean Arthur is quite adorable and endearing in most of what she does, and I would have to say she lives up to that in "Easy Living" as well. Her character comes across as sincere and believable, and this allows her "antics" to succeed.
Ray Milland and Edward Arnold are also very good. They don't necessarily have momentous occasions, but they provide the solid acting that you would expect from them. Of course, William Demarest has his almost obligatory appearance in the movie, and he always adds a little spice. (He was in nearly every single big movie that Sturges was involved in.)
Anyway, if you like corny screwball/slapstick comedies that are funny and clever, try "Easy Living." This is great for when you want something that is relaxing and not too long. It's really hard to not smile/laugh during this film!
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