Haley wanted an "old-timey comedy", and we have run low on them, so I had to do some crate-digging for this one. And I'm glad I did!

This movie — a svelte 82 minutes which it manages to wring every minute out of, while leaving some time for breath and downbeat — is really fun. Herbert Marshall (whom I haven't seen before this film, but gives a lovely performance of Jack Lemmon playing Cary Grant) and Miriam Hopkins are delightful, a sort of proto-The Thin Man pairing.

The plot feels every inch the three-act play from which it is adapted, and that economy works in its favor: every scene advances and entertains. (I did not much buy the third-act romance, but those things happen.)

★★★★

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About Trouble in Paradise

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About the author

I'm Justin Duke — a software engineer, writer, and founder. I currently work as the CEO of Buttondown, the best way to start and grow your newsletter, and as a partner at Third South Capital.

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