So much average

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I believe every great actor should have at least one movie in which they get to go completely over the top and out of character (Barrymore in Twentieth Century, Howard in Its Love I'm After, Bogart in Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Stewart in Vertigo). For William Powell, Love Crazy provided him with his opportunity in easily the most slapstick oriented comedy ether Powell or Myrna Loy ever done; from heads being stuck in elevator doors to characters slipping on the same mat several times throughout the film. It's not John Barrymore levels of over the top but compared to William Powell's usual soft spoken persona it's pretty over the top.Love Crazy is the William Powell show all the way, showcasing the complete range of his abilities as a comedic actor in a plot which is like a tabloid newspaper story turned into a screwball comedy; a jokey representation of mental illness which wouldn't be politically correct by today's standards. All the more fun then! One of the scenes from any film Powell has appeared which I feel best demonstrates his comedic timing is when he is tasked with convincing a lunacy commission of his sanity by placing shaped blocks into their corresponding holes. It's such a basic task yet his overzealous confidence he still manages to convincingly screw it up; it works on so many levels. Yet as the film progresses, I end up feeling particularly sorry for his character due to his failed marriage.But not to undo Myrna Loy with her stand out moment being a surprisingly erotic scene with Jack Carson in which both of them are bare shouldered. On top of that I find myself in awe that there is a straight up dick joke in this movie ("He has to have his torso free when he shoots his bow and arrow"). Of all the sneaky jokes they got past the censors I've heard in screwball comedies this is one of the most unsubtle. Likewise Gail Patrick who plays Powell's former girlfriend appears to be a bit of a nymphomaniac; badly wanting him shortly after meeting for the first time in years despite both of them now being married, not to mention it's his anniversary night! Just listen as the seductively tells Powell "Stevie I'm bored!". There's quite a bit of setting up in Love Crazy but the payoffs are worth it. Love Crazy also gets a big boost from the apartment sets designed by Cedric Gibbons. The painted backdrops of skyscrapers high in the sky and the art deco shading, it's beautiful.I managed to go into Love Crazy unaware of the screwball hijinks which occur during the third act. If it's not too late for you, I recommend doing the same. You'll be left in a state of disbelief that what occurs on screen is really happening.

"Love Crazy" is a screwball comedy which almost got in under the wire to actually qualify for that title, but missed by a year or two. Nevertheless, we can call it one for the sake of argument, because it contains most of that genre's qualities. Mainly, it is very funny in a frenetic, absurd sense.The frenetic part comes in the beginning as Steve (Wm. Powell) decides to surprise his wife (Myrna Loy) on their anniversary. They engage in that banter that made them a famous team in "The Thin Man" series. Lots of funny lines and visual fun, until her Mom (Florence Bates) shows up unexpectedly. Then occurs one of those mistaken-circumstance deals found in the Astaire-Rogers films and upon which the basis of the plot is formed, as he is caught in a lie.Gradually, the humor becomes absurd, as he decides to be a crazy person to save his marriage. After a bit, it becomes tiresome and more illogical and contrived, but you just go with it because you get the feeling everything will turn out alright. And you would be right. Who knew William Powell could do slapstick and some lowbrow comedy? Well, he does and he is very funny. The picture maintains a pretty high level of humor throughout, although it strains and tries too hard towards the end. It gets a big boost from Jack Carson in a support role, and look for a young Elisha Cook, Jr. as an elevator operator.I often found screwball comedies tiresome, but this one is different, and I rated it that way. For some reason it's not as well-known or seen as much as other, more famous movies of this type. It is very worth your time, whether you're a fan of screwball or not.

It's hard to think of how you'd put together a more enjoyable screwball comedy than this... I've seen most of the classic screwballs (including Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, You Can't Take it With You, & Libeled Lady) and this one equals or exceeds them in my book.First off, you have the screen's most engaging and witty couple working their magic. Anything you've not seen with Powell and Loy together is worth the watch -- period. In addition, you have a large group of excellent character actors in top form which only adds to the fun. Then you have a sharp script which builds in the early moments of film and then doesn't let up. This movie doesn't throw in a bunch of tender melodramatic moments (although it's sweet in it's own zany way), it's pure screwball throughout! One of the things I thoroughly enjoyed from this film was the marvelous vehicle it was for William Powell. He's given the majority of the strong scenes (although Myrna Loy has a wonderful, hilarious vignette with Jack Carson), and he eats them up and spits them out brilliantly with us laughing all the way. Everything from his famous witty retorts to physical comedy, to dressing up as his own (hideous!) sister, he does it all here, and its great fun to watch.Unequivocally recommended!

As a big fan of The Thin Man movies, I really wanted to see this film because of William Powell and Myrna Loy. I'm so glad I did because it was fantastic! It does fit the genre of screwball comedies of that time period without any alteration, so you may find yourself picking up on the rhythm of the script and predicting lines, as I did. The supporting cast is great, but what is surprising is that in this film, it almost feels like Myrna Loy is included in that group. William Powell took every scene he was in and carried it right away. He was droll and a little weird, but he still remained a believable character. There were some moments when I cringed, I'll only mention Abraham Lincoln if you haven't seen this movie, but they did not detract from me rolling around on the floor in laughter. I suppose I must mention Powell in drag, which is ridiculously funny and countered extremely well by Loy. She did her best work in her scenes with Powell just by playing along or completely denying any of his efforts to seem insane. Although they both get top billing, this is William Powell's film. He was hilarious and honest and I can't believe this film isn't more talked about!