Absolutely amazing

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Something happened between Love Finds Andy Hardy and Andy Hardy Meets Debutante. Mickey Rooney's ridiculous mugging to the camera is in the past, and while this one still isn't a good movie, at least it's not painfully torturous whenever he's on the screen. And, since he's the lead, that's a plus.The Hardy family returns, including Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker, and Mickey Rooney. Mickey, with his hormones still raging, has a collection of magazine clippings of the famous New York debutante, Diana Lewis, and when his friends tease him about his crush, he's humiliated. Then, when he goes to New York to visit his friend Judy Garland, he tries to meet Diana in person-but of course, his plans go awry. If you're a teenager and you think the biggest problem in the world is getting teased by your friends for having a celebrity crush, you might like this very silly teen comedy. If you don't get annoyed by a hormone-struck Mickey Rooney, a loud Judy Garland, and a pointless plot, you might like this. I didn't like it, but it's not nearly as painful as the earlier films.

A lot had happened between Judy Garland's first appearance in the Judge Hardy's Family series-in 1938's Love Finds Andy Hardy-and her second appearance in this one that I'm now reviewing. The year before this one, she played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz which, while not a blockbuster on the Gone with the Wind scale, would eventually become a classic perhaps due to CBS's annual showings from the '50s to the late '90s. She had also teamed equally with Mickey Rooney in the first of their "let's-put-on-a-show" musicals called Babes in Arms. So when she appeared as Betsy Booth again here, she seemed more poised and naturally sophisticated. And her scenes with Rooney were among the best in the movie culminating in a possible romance between them near the end. In fact, unlike previous entries, this one doesn't start with Judge Hardy in court session nor end with Andy reuniting with Polly by kissing her (though, of course, they do get back together). While Andy does seem to fall for Betsy though, most of the plot concerns his getting in trouble by lying about knowing New York socialite Daphne Fowler (Diana Lewis) and trying to get to her. The humor is more subdued here but it's still there like when Andy goes to a fancy restaurant and just orders the specials without considering the prices! It's especially noticeable when Andy and Marion don't argue like they usually do! Anyway, largely because of the special bond between Judy and Mickey and of hearing Judy's wonderful singing voice on two songs here, I highly recommend Andy Hardy Meets Debutante.

Andy's got a crush on famous New York socialite Daphne Fowler (Diana Lewis) and brags to Polly and Beezy that he knows her. Judge Hardy has to go to New York to save the Carvel orphanage and decides to bring the family along. When Andy's friends hear about this, they expect him to bring back photographic proof of his romance with Daphne. Once in New York, he gets help from his friend Betsy Booth (Judy Garland), who's grown up some and still in love with Andy.The ninth entry in the MGM Andy Hardy film series is a good one. Probably the most quotable of the Hardy movies. Lots of funny lines ("We're not hillbillies. We wear shoes every day."). Mickey Rooney is terrific. Andy always had to learn life lessons in these movies but here he learns them all the hard way and Mickey does a fantastic job making Andy sympathetic while making us shake our heads at him at the same time. Judy Garland reprises her role as Betsy Booth from earlier in the series. She's a joy to watch and has great chemistry with Mickey. She gets to sing a couple of nice songs, too. Clyde Wilson steals his few scenes as the orphan Francis, who gets man-to-man advice from Andy. Cy Kendall has a good part as the owner of a fancy restaurant who gives Andy a tongue lashing for running up a bill pretending to be a big shot ("I've got eight dollars in my bankroll and with eight dollars I could buy the Club Sirocco."). A really good entry in the series with quality writing and solid performances from everybody.

ANDY HARDY MEETS DEBUTANTE (1940) is the ninth (9th) film of the series and it shows the direction it was inevitably headed into. Characters ANDY HARDY (Mickey Rooney) and JUDGE HARDY (Lewis Stone) were going to be front and center. The rest of the cast was going too just punch the clock and collect their checks. The series would rise to the occasion again and have its moments but a fatal decline had set in.Lewis Stone throughout the series would continue too portray the character of JUDGE HARDY in a sympathetic manner. The rest of the cast would be professional even though given less and less to do. Mickey Rooney on the other hand would continue his character as if there was no learning curve. ANDYs' reaction to any situation was in a naive and unbelievable way. Even after he returned as a veteran of World War II service in LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY (1946) his reaction to any 'teapot tempest' was the same, juvenile.In this film it is clearly illustrated. ANDY gets himself into several unbelievable situations that with a simple explanation would have been resolved. This screen writing device was known as the 'idiot plot'. A means of stretching a poorly written scenario. Maybe it was less Mickey Rooneys' fault then the Director and the Writers. Most likely George B. Seitz had directed one too many and a firmer hand was needed too control Rooneys' excesses. To see our overview of the entire series go to YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE (1937).