Director: Delbert Mann
Actors: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall, Jack Oakie
Country: U.S.A.

Lover Come Back was a delightful movie to watch and I enjoyed every single minute of it. I have watched a few Doris Day films in the past (at the top of my head I can name Please Don’t Eat the Daisies and The Glass Bottom Boat to name a few) but I have never watched a Day/Hudson film although I do own Pillow Talk. This film reminded me of another film called Down With Love with Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor and I know that the film was inspired by Day/Hudson films and my, my, Down With Love did a fabulous job with that. I should write an entry for that film as well!

Anyway, this film is full of situations that lead to misunderstandings, competition, and problems what make it so enjoyable. Not only that, Doris Day and Rock Hudson looked amazing as a couple and their acting complemented each other. I sighed happily when they were both in a scene together and couldn’t help but think how adorable they were. Day plays her wholesome character to perfection and the way she acts in the scene when she is pouring champagne (oh you’ll know when you watch it!) was played to perfection. The music, her actions, her face expression just fit so well. Hudson is charming as a deceitful worker of an advertising agency and you cannot help but fall for his charms. I can see why Hudson was loved by everyone and he definitely was handsome. My mom always calls Hudson “The Good Looking Man” because she can never remember his name. I never found Cary Grant to be attractive, but Hudson is like a sexier version of Grant! I don’t know why, but something about Hudson’s looks made me think of Grant.
I really don’t want to give away much of the plot, but I beg you to watch this film. It’s a breath of fresh air after watching recent romantic comedies and even screwballs from the 1930s and 1940s and the innuendos are to die for. One of my favourite scenes full of innuendos is when Rebel (Edie Adams) shows off the “Good Conduct Medal”; I had to pause the film because I laughed so much. When something shocked me and I thought, “HOW DID THIS GET PASSED THE CENSORS?!” (I wonder that a lot I noticed), it was answered right away by the following action or scene. Day’s face expressions are priceless as well and I couldn’t help but love her in every scene.

I’m pretty sure that you probably know my picture set-up for posts. I usually use a screencap I took of a scene that epitomizes the film (or one that I simply like!) for the first one, then use other stills to use as references throughout the post. Well, this time, the screencap I used for the first one was my favourite scene and I think the scene did embody what this film was like. It was a scene of when Carol (Doris Day) takes “Dr. Tyler” (Rock Hudson) to a burlesque show and the conversation that goes on during the show and afterwards is great, but what made the scene even better is Day’s face expressions. It’s worth a watch, I promise!

Underneath all the hilarity and cuteness of this film, I really liked what it had to say about the advertising agency and how it shapes people’s perception of the world. It also showed how honest work sometimes isn’t enough to get the job done and that a little something-something is necessary or at least helpful.

And of course, an entry cannot do without any superficial anecdotes. First of all, there is Day’s hair which is absolutely gorgeous. It makes her look both classy yet also gives her a casual air. I wish I could style my hair like that every day… In every scene she has such perfect hair, well, except that one scene towards the end, but she always looks poised with her perfect coiffure. And then of course, Day’s hats in this film were outrageous. I wonder where she even got them because they were so peculiar that they were charming in their own way. They were on the borderline of hideous, weird, and I don’t know, but Day makes them look like they aren’t anything special. Hm, also, can I say that the shade of lipstick Day wore is glorious? I love it.

The only thing I was a bit ambivalent about is the ending. At first, I thought, “Oh well that’s what happens!” but then I thought about it and it seemed unfair for Day’s character. The ending seemed rushed and a bit tacked on, but at the same time it went by so quickly that I barely thought about it. Watch it and judge for yourself!

IMDb Link: Lover Come Back
Where to buy: Amazon.com

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 19th, 2009 at 3:06 pm and is filed under 1960s, Countries, U.S.A., Year. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.