Good concept, poorly executed.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Barbara Stanwyck's self proclaimed favorite amongst her films this classy soap opera is uniformly well acted and well appointed. It would seem after viewing the film that she was so fond of it because it afforded her the opportunity for many shades of emotion as a recent widow struggling with conflicting feelings. First there are the responsibilities to her young sons who are still recovering from the loss of their father something that is being constantly pointed out by her shrew of a mother, the great Lucile Watson. At first she seems resigned to basically being a professional widow sacrificing any life of her own for her duties and then suddenly George Brent enters the picture and she starts to realize that perhaps there might be a chance for something of her own again, an idea supported by her good friend Eve Arden but then her judgmental mother and false friends make her question her right to happiness. Good stuff movingly enacted.

Wartime soap-romance with Stanwyck, and she's excellent even by her own lofty standards, as a young Chicago widow with children whom the Lake Shore Drive set doesn't know what to do with. Her pompous mama, an amusing Lucille Watson, and her two sensible sons want her to be a conventional widow. Then she meets George Brent... The mid-century problem of what role a woman without a man is supposed to play is dealt with with some insight, and it must have resonated mightily in 1946, with so many women thrust into this unfamiliar territory. Brent, so handsome in his youth, was by this time puffy and artificial-looking, and isn't an ideal love object. Nor is Eve Arden given enough to do in a conventional best-pal role. But Stanwyck's so graceful and sturdy, and the Warners production so assured, that you stick with it and root for the pair to triumph over their gossipy milieu. It ends pretty abruptly and not altogether convincingly, but there are many good scenes along the way, and we sure do love Babs.

Widowed socialite in her early 30s, expected by her two boys, her mother, and her friends to grieve her husband's death for a lengthy period of time, instead meets and falls in love with a randy, masculine soldier--a man who clearly informs her he's not the marrying kind. Although she isn't quite the motherly type, Barbara Stanwyck gives yet another of her sterling performances in the lead. Whether standing up to the gossipy biddies in her town or trying to explain her definition of love to her sons, Stanwyck never hits a false note. Warner Bros. apparently had little faith in the film's appeal, keeping it on the shelf for two years, and yet it's a solid example of the 'woman's picture', a classy nosegay with one of those beautiful Hollywood finales at the train station. **1/2 from ****

Perhaps it's because of the presence of George Brent, but in some ways this reminds me of a Bette Davis vehicle. Perhaps not as strong as some of Davis' pics, but in the same vein. But as I watched the film, I realized that Davis would not have been quite right -- Barbara Stanwyck, however, was perfect.There really is some excellent acting here, even aside from Stanwyck. George Brent is a somewhat forgotten actor, but he turns in strong performances in the vast majority of the films he was in, and this movie is no exception. Lucile Watson is a noted character actress, and I always enjoy her performances, even when -- as here -- she's not playing in a totally sympathetic role. The two other performances of note here are Eve Arden as the friend...a bit subdued here...but very good. And, young Scotty Beckett as the younger son. Beckett may very well have been the most talented of the child actors of that era, but unfortunately died at 38 after living an adult life that was quite tragic.It's difficult to find anything not to like in this film. The story is not as suggestive as the title makes it sound. Stanwyck's husband has died and eventually she falls in love with George Brent...a little too soon for everyone else's taste...including her own sons. But, she becomes a bit liberated, and at the end of the film there is promise that her relationship with Brent will lead to marriage. Enjoy! This is a good one!