La Part du jeu

Dr. and Mrs. Grey (John Lund and Joan Fontaine) are among the worst parents I've seen in a film. When the story begins, they've apparently been down in Panama for many years battling diseases...all the while leaving their three children behind to be raised by servants. It's so bad that when they DO return to the States, they have absolutely no idea which kids are the dock are theirs...and the same with the kids, as they have no idea WHAT their parents look like!! And, as a result, the viewer pretty much hates these god-awful parents from the onset of the film. Even in the film "Mommy, Dearest", the mother paid attention to her children!!

Oddly, despite being terrible parents, Dr. Grey seems much more at- east with the kids and quickly wins them over to him. But Mrs. Grey is pretty much as stupid as a tomato and again and again, she manages to alienate her kids from her...as well as convince their oldest that she's cheating on the Doctor!

The film is supposed to be a comedy and J.M. Berrie apparently misjudged how horrified the audience might be in seeing this story when he wrote the play...or perhaps the problem is that the screenplay manages to be the problem. Regardless, it's only natural that some viewers would be so put off by the parents' neglect...so much so that the comedic aspects seem awkward and rather unfunny. Plus there is a portion where the daughter dresses up as an adult in order to try to vamp the man she thinks is her mother's lover--and this is super- creepy as the kid looks to be about 11 or perhaps 12. As for the other two reviews here on IMDb, they seemed able to look past all this and enjoy the film. As for me, perhaps it's because I am a parent or am a retired therapist and social worker...all I know is that I was really put off by the story...though I think the actors and director did try their best.