I may have first known this title from a bookshelf, but what got me interested in the movie was its inclusion in AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs at #72. Of course, I always took that list with a grain of salt; some of its entries do little to nothing for me, but that's likely to be true of anyone's 100 favorite comedies. Regardless, Jim Blandings is played by Cary Grant, who, tho previously unmentioned on this blog, has starred in 20 films that I've seen and has a fine track record in my view.
Tired of having little space for four in their New York apartment, Jim and wife Muriel (Myrna Loy) jump at the chance to move to rural Connecticut. Despite Jim's experience as an advertiser, he doesn't see through a slick pitch, and they buy a house fit to be condemned. This could be a blessing in disguise, as they now have the excuse to rebuild entirely to their specs. But that, too, is not their strong suit....
About 90% of the story is about the trials and tribulations of building a "dream" house from scratch. Dreams rarely survive reality, after all. To a modern viewer not well-versed in the history of inflation, it's hard to appreciate the price tags attached to every step of the process, but perhaps it's enough to realize that if the Blandings family were rich, they wouldn't be in that apartment in the first place.
I get the impression that they're a pretty typical family, which makes their travails walk the line between comedic and kinda scary. It sure didn't make me want to try my hand at amateur architecture. That said, while a few mishaps are not their fault at all, Jim and Muriel do make a number of errors that I like to think I wouldn't, apart from staying the course after I would've bailed. For instance, they insist on four bathrooms. My family of four made do with one full bath and two half baths (one in the basement and rarely used) for as long as we lived together.
Granted, one possible unspoken reason for not backing down on that score is the presence of a Black maid (Louise Beavers of Holiday Inn), who might not be allowed to share a bathroom with the others. The Blandings family treats her nicely enough as we watch, but who knows? Anyway, she comes across as Aunt Jemima-ish enough for my "politically incorrect" tag, even if she's not supposed to be funny that way.
Another mistake on the part of Jim and Muriel is that they don't listen enough to their attorney friend, Bill (Melvyn Douglas). Jim understandably resents him at times, as both Blandings daughters are excited to see "Uncle" Bill, and Muriel shows evidence of straying toward him. But that's not enough reason to dismiss his advice, as he appears to know everything relevant better than they do, short of their hearts' desires.
I'm not crazy about the plot. It doesn't lend itself to much subject variety or unpredictability. A subplot involves Jim needing to come up with an ad slogan in the course of six months, and he's too preoccupied with the house to give it any thought until it's almost due, but you don't need to have seen many comedies to know how he'll pay for the house.
No, the best source of humor here is the characters' cutting remarks, especially from Jim and Bill. Unfortunately, the bitterness that fuels their wit doesn't always translate to amusement. When of the daughters reiterates, "Bicker, bicker, bicker," it's grating -- and altogether too true. There's still a happy ending, but it's pretty forced.
MBBHDH was not the next Arsenic and Old Lace or Bringing Up Baby. The best I can say for it is that it might be the most relatable Cary Grant comedy and thus the most cathartic if you've ever been down that road. Otherwise, you may find it insufficiently over-the-top for earnest laughs.
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