Never Too Late

I thought this movie was GREAT! And I also thought Jim Hutton & Connie Stevens were great as well...I was sorry to see it end! Very enjoyable.....

This film is a forgettable piece of fluff that's perfectly fine if, say, you're sick in bed and don't have many other options. Paul Ford plays the classic 1960's successful businessman but bumbling husband whose home life is a mess, and Maureen O'Sullivan is his long suffering wife who's gets pregnant in, I don't know, probably her mid- to late-50's. Connie Stevens is their daughter and Jim Hutton is their son-in-law, who bounce back and forth between being supportive and argumentative, whatever each particular scene requires. And apparently, the moral of the film is that political corruption pays off in the end.

If this sounds good to you, then go ahead and tee up this film. But I have to warn you: For the sweet love of all that is holy, fast forward through the horrible, horrible theme song. When I heard the opening theme, I literally started hating the movie already. The same song repeats during the ending credits, so get ready with the kill switch then, too.

Crotchety Harry Lambert (Paul Ford) owns a small lumber yard. He is not happy with his new-thinking employee son-in-law Charlie Clinton (Jim Hutton). He is pushing his daughter Kate (Connie Stevens) to start a family. His wife Edith (Maureen O'Sullivan) receives surprising news. She's pregnant.

It's a fun concept especially for the older couple. It's based on a 1962 play. The younger couple is a little off. They are playing more immature especially Connie Stevens. She's in her late twenties. The character plays more early twenties. Charlie shows that he's forward thinking early on, but he retreats back to the 50's. The younger couple is more annoying than funny. The two couples are far too similar. I kept thinking of Norman Lear doing All in the Family. I like the first half a lot. The second half takes a couple of awkward turns where it could funny but somehow it's not that funny. It becomes a bit too angry without the humor.

I have to put this one on my personal top 10 list. Its quaint and very well cast. Maureen O'Sullivan is awesome, and Paul Ford, well what can you say about him, he is magnificent. They play the expecting middle-aged couple to perfection. Everything about this movie is classy, especially the ladies outfits. Women knew how to dress back then, and looked like ladies. The dialogue is snappy & funny, and the film never drags, but is funny from start to finish.

If you want a nice little movie to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon, to cheer you up, this is one DVD to pop in the machine and watch.

In those early Sixties Kennedy years this play and film were big hits with an across the board appeal to generations, but particularly the senior citizen crowd. Paul Ford and Maureen O'Sullivan who repeated their roles from the 1007 performance run Broadway play show that those thought past their prime can still do some things totally unexpected.

Menopause was late coming in the Lambert household of Concord, Massachusetts because Maureen O'Sullivan has announced after a 20 year span after the birth of her daughter Connie Stevens that she is pregnant again. She and Paul Ford are about to be parents again at an age when they should be expecting their first grandchildren. That is of particular interest to Connie Stevens and her husband Jim Hutton who are trying ever so hard to get Connie in a family way.

But in general Ford who is a conservative man by nature is getting all kinds of Ooohs and Ahs from the town for his unexpected virility. His neighbor and rival Lloyd Nolan who is the mayor of the town is really ribbing him something awful.

Sight gags abound in Never Too Late usually involving Ford and his middle age paunch. There's a scene in the pediatric waiting room where Ford is sitting with a bunch of young fathers to be. There's another one in an elevator with Ford and a little girl and some pregnant women with the young girl drawing all kinds of conclusions.

In the non-visual category Ford and Hutton both really tie one on and a bit of truth telling emerges from the booze.

I remember seeing this in the theater back when it first came out and the timeless family situations make Never Too Late as fresh as it was when I first saw it. This could get a remake today and not lose a thing. But until then this fine version will suffice.