I enjoyed much of "Repent at Leisure" but also must point out that the plot really makes little sense.
When the story begins, Emily Baldwin (Wendy Barrie) is about to marry some prince who is twice her age and not a particularly nice person. Emily realizes this and runs from the wedding. She hops aboard a bus and meets Richard (Kent Taylor). They agree to meet later for dinner.
When Richard goes to work at the Baldwin Department Store, he learns that the company is having financial trouble and they are firing all the single men. When Richard talks to his supervisor about this, on the spur of the moment he tells the boss that he IS married! So, the boss tells him to bring the wife by to play bridge with him and his wife. Emily agrees to marry Richard (yes, they just met)...but the night turns out to be a disaster. And during that night, they mention that they have a baby. So, to keep up the lie, they go to the orphanage and they bring home a cute little boy.
If most of this makes no sense, it only gets worse. During the next few months, Richard is advanced quickly through the department store and he doesn't realize this is because he'd married the boss' daughter. Now you'd THINK Emily would introduce her to her parents and tell him who she really is...but she doesn't.
When Richard eventually finds out the truth, it seems everyone at Baldwin's knew who he's married...and they all knew before him. At this point, Emily does her best to make Richard feel like dirt and because of the lies, he walks off...leaving Emily. Now he's working for Baldwin's competition and doing a darned good job of it. What's to come of all this?
The actors in this one are pretty good (though Kent Taylor is a tad bland)....but the material just makes little sense. And, I am pretty sure as you read my summary you, too, are confused. Why marry a guy you just met? Why not tell him who your family is? Why have a fight and leave when up until then, you'd both been very happy together? The questions are numerous and show that the writing was just pretty sloppy.
Overall, the film has merit even though it's illogical. Watch it and just turn off your brain!
