Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Bette Davis is a serious literary writer who's enjoyed mild success. She returns to her hometown to visit her childhood friend, played by Miriam Hopkins, who's married to John Loder. Hopkins's character yearns for a life of her own, outside of the trappings of her husband and daughter, and is inspired by her friend's visit to try and get her trashy romance novel published. Davis helps her out and, of course, Hopkins becomes a big success, much to the chagrin of Davis and her now neglected husband Loder.Years later, Davis is dating Gig Young, whom she thinks is about to propose to her but who has actually now fallen for Hopkins's daughter Dolores Moran. Hopkins's character wants to reconcile with her own estranged husband Loder, who is uninterested but does seem attracted to Davis's worldly sophistication. The career woman Davis gets an opportunity to be a martyr as she allows Young to pursue Moran, and then a savior for Moran, who almost makes a mistake with Philip Reed's character.Anne Revere plays a writer who figures out the relationship between the two women and more. My favorite exchange in this film (filled with great lines) is when Revere's character comments to Davis's that "at least when you (Davis) publish a book, it's a good thing, and not like grinding out some sausage." She then recognizes that Hopkins's character (to whom she was obviously referring) has overheard and (embarrassed) says "maybe I should just slit my throat" to which Hopkins, not missing a beat, replies "well, there's a knife on that table over there".Roscoe Karns also appears as a reporter; Esther Dale plays Davis's longtime maid and confidant.One of the things that makes this film so enjoyable is the on screen loathing between Davis and Hopkins, no real friends off the screen either, though they share a great final, "reconciliation" scene together - the derivation of the film's title.Directed by Vincent Sherman, this John Van Druten play was converted into a screenplay by Van Druten and Lenore Coffee. Later remade as Rich and Famous (1981) with Candice Bergen and Jacqueline Bisset.

The context for this film makes it a lot more interesting to watch. Several years before this movie was made, Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins also starred in "Old Maid". During this filming, the two volatile actresses fought like dogs. It got so bad that Davis even ended up sleeping with Hopkins' husband--and they truly hated each other. In fact, the acrimony between them was far worse than the much publicized feud between Davis and Joan Crawford. How they got these two together for another film is curious, but Davis must have enjoyed it immensely, as she played a woman who was practically a saint and Hopkins was forces to play someone who is thoroughly despicable.The film begins in the 1920s. Davis is returning to her old home town after man years' absence. In the interim, she's become a well-respected author and the town is gearing up for her return. However, of all the people anticipating, the one who has put the most energy into it is Hopkins. It seems she and Davis grew up together and Hopkins has grand plans about their reunion. However, it soon becomes obvious that Hopkins really wants to be the center of attention and when others intrude on her plans, she becomes furious and behaves like a child. Davis and Hopkins are able to patch things up--mostly because Davis (like she did throughout the film) made a lot of allowances for friend. In other words, she bit her tongue and remembered how much she cared for her.During this tempestuous reunion, the very shallow Hopkins announces that she thinks it must not be that difficult to become a famous author and she's decided to become one, too! A normal friend would have been annoyed, but Davis takes this in a good-natured way. Amazingly, after a few more years, Hopkins IS a famous author. While not as well-respected as Davis, her books are smash successes. Unfortunately, while she is now rich and famous, her immaturity and selfishness have been allowed to blossom. Though in love with herself, he daughter is more like a household object and her husband can't stand her. Eventually, the husband divulges to Davis that he loves her and asks her to marry him, but Davis is too good a person and sends him packing.Over time, Davis and Hopkins remain friends. However, as throughout the entire film you wonder why! After all, Hopkins is thoughtless and self-centered. But, Davis is always her friend--helping her raise her daughter (since the husband had long since left). Hopkins' horridly selfish life gets more and more difficult for those around her and the viewer is left to wonder how much longer this will go until Davis kills her. Well, this does lead to one of the best showdowns in film--the scene between them is a true classic. However, by the end, even after this big showdown, the two are reunited as friends--a very dissatisfying ending for an otherwise perfect film.While there is a lot more to the film than this (including a subplot involving Gig Young and the grown daughter of Hopkins), but this is really not all that important--the fireworks between Hopkins and Davis are. That is THE reason to watch this film. And, despite the DVD having a short entitled "Old Acquaintance: A Classic Woman's Picture" and having commentary by a gay man throughout the commentary track, I hate when films are seen as a 'woman's film'--"Old Acquaintance" is a wonderful film regardless who watches it! This is one straight man who had a thoroughly wonderful time watching!By the way, I have read quite a bit about both actresses and can say that both had enormous egos and many around them hated them (though there were many exceptions as well). But, at least in the case of Davis, despite being a rather nasty person, she was a heck of a terrific actress. As for Hopkins, her temperamental nature appears to have led to her once-promising career to have fizzled soon after "Old Acquaintance".

I didn't much like this Bette Davis women's picture from 1943.It starts out promisingly enough, with Davis as a successful writer paying a visit to childhood friend Miriam Hopkins. Always competitive, Hopkins decides she wants to be a writer too, and finds tremendous success writing popular entertainments while Davis struggles to find an audience for her more artistic endeavors. If the film had continued to examine the relationship between these two artist friends, it might have been engaging. However, it instead goes off on a bunch of standard-issue romantic tangents, all of it the stuff of dull soap opera, none of it very interesting, that feels like a hundred other movies you've seen before from the same time period.Davis gives one of her best performances up to a point, until the material abandons her. The less said about Hopkins' hysterically unfunny performance, the better.Grade: C

A classic woman's film in the best sense of the word, "Old Acquaintance" was remade by George Cukor as "Rich and Famous" and echoed in the final scenes of Pedro Almodovar's "La Flor de Mi Secreto." Such is the enduring appeal of this tale of a friendship between two women that continues throughout their lives despite rivalries, temperament, and love affairs. Of course with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins as the women, the film rises from melodramatic soap opera to a higher level. Davis plays Kit, a serious, sensitive writer, whose interests lie principally in her work. Hopkins plays Millie, a self-absorbed woman who envies her friend's success, but is determined to have everything: a writing career, a home, and a family. While Kit writes critically lauded books and plays, Millie produces a steady stream of best selling romantic novels. While Millie becomes wealthy beyond measure, Kit remains appreciated if not rich. However, Kit's warmth attracts the affections of not only Millie's increasingly estranged husband, but also her neglected daughter.Thus, the stage is set for emotional clashes between the two writers that provide Davis and Hopkins with some juicy material. Hopkins in particular chews the scenery, wrings her hands, and emotes outrageously. Davis, on the other hand, underplays her role more than usual, although the Davis eyes and inflections remain. Perhaps she understood that the histrionics of more than one actress would be too much for the audience to bear. However, during one classic outburst, Davis unexpectedly does steal a scene from Hopkins and provoke a startled laugh from the audience. With two strong women at its center, the men in "Old Acquaintance" understandably play support. John Loder is all bland good looks as Millie's husband, and a handsome Gig Young does little besides look handsome and play the too-young romantic interest for Davis.With the exception of Deidre, Hopkins' daughter, the other major female roles also involve working women. Although Davis's maid may be a domestic, she does work and earn her own living. The reporter who interviews Hopkins and Loder is a gender-neutral role, but perhaps to emphasize the centrality of women to the story, another strong actress, Anne Revere, was cast. In fact, besides Loder and Young, most of the men in the film play waiters, taxi drivers, night clerks, playboys, and drunks. Newcomer Dolores Moran, who plays Deidre, was out of her league with Davis and Hopkins and comes across as shallow and unconvincing. Her erotic gyrations to seduce Gig Young in a listening booth and her defiant dalliance with an older playboy are at odds with the character and image of Kit, who was supposedly Deidre's role model.Fast paced, lush, and romantic, "Old Acquaintance" is one of those movies that "they just don't make anymore." The dialog is delicious, the performances occasionally border on camp, and the direction is sure-handed. With a box of chocolates, a wad of Kleenex, and a bottle of flat champagne, Bette and Miriam are the perfect friends for a rainy afternoon.