Over 21

Max Wharton (Alexander Knox), 39, is the editor of the New York Bulletin -- or he was, until he announces to his boss over the Teletype that he's quitting to join the army. Robert Gow (Charles Coburn), who owns the paper, is furious. Wharton is the Bulletin. Without him there's no newspaper. But what Wharton wants is to be close to the war. And his wife, Polly (Irene Dunne), wants to be close to him. And so she finishes up her latest movie script and goes to live near the barracks. She suffers life in a bungalow that has no shower, lights that you have to turn on and off from the outside, a refrigerator that will make a hideous noise when she's lucky (that means it's working), moths and other niceties. Meanwhile, Max is starting to believe the saw that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Supposedly, anyone over 21 has great difficulty in learning what one needs to learn to become an officer.

It's a lie, says Polly. But she's not sure whether she wants him to graduate or not. If he fails, he can go back to the paper, his baby, the thing he's constantly worrying about when he isn't worried about his tests. Gow has been calling her constantly, trying to talk to Max, but Polly won't let him, not when he has more important things on his mind.

Finally, Gow tells Polly that he has to sell the paper. Polly stops him in the only way she can. She tells him Max will write editorials from the barracks. But there's no way Max could handle the extra work load, so she writes the editorials herself.

The British critic, Leslie Halliwell, sums up this movie in his Film Guide: "Thin star comedy based on Ruth Gordon's play about her own predicament; not for the wider audience, and not very good anyway." Irene Dunne and Charles Coburn are good, as always, but you can see them in other movies.

While hubby Alexander KNOX is undergoing the rigors of officer training at an army base, IRENE DUNNE must contend humorously with several hardships of her own, including a floorboard that has to be stamped upon in order to open a window, light switches in inconvenient places, a refrigerator caked with ice, and a lack of cooking skill that means she has to call upon her willing female neighbors when her husband brings a buddy over for dinner. In addition, she has a newspaper editor (CHARLES COBURN) hounding her husband to write another article from the newspaper he walked out on--a chore which Dunne takes upon herself to do so hubby won't be distracted from his work.

Based on Ruth Gordon's own experiences as an army wife (married to writer/director Garson Kanin), it serves as a delightful role for IRENE DUNNE, who lights up the screen with her presence and has never been more attractively photographed.

But the material itself is a bit uneven, deadly serious one moment and then straying into the field of screwball comedy at other times.

Another drawback is the performance of Alexander KNOX as the overage hubby, not the world's most charismatic actor. It's the kind of role that should have been played by either EDDIE ALBERT or a bigger star like CARY GRANT.

JEFF DONNELL is amusing as a devoted soldier's wife and CHARLES EVANS and LEE PATRICK do nicely in supporting roles. But it's almost a two character story with the spotlight on Dunne and Knox running occasional interference from crusty CHARLES COBURN, and most of it takes place in their cramped living quarters which must have kept the film at a very low budget.

Summing up: An essential Irene Dunne film for her fans.

It is well known that Irene Dunne could sing somewhat more than a little. And I think her talent as a comedienne can only be really understood once one has struggled through a sonata by Haydn or a song by Debussy and made a success of it. Her instrument is her voice and her handling of it is pure musicianship. She could tackle any part. The only thing she couldn't do was to not make a success of it. This film is a perfect example. In it, she channels Ruth Gordon (because the play is the thing), is feminine, charming, willful and self-effacing, generous, protective and combative but never pretentious. She manages to stay as believable as Alexander Knox is in another difficult role he assumes with aplomb. The viewer gets to believe in what he is seeing and to care for it. It is refreshing to see a film that is both entertaining and intellectually challenging while pushing all the right patriotic buttons. I sincerely hope the entire Dunne oeuvre makes it to DVD one day because it's really hard to keep a secret like that among just a few initiates.

Note the wide release date of Aug 8, 1945 - about a week before Japan surrendered in WWII, so there will probably be a message for us in "Over 21". Irene Dunne (It Happened one Night, the 1939 version of Love Affair) is Paula Wharton, who goes to live on an army base while her newspaper editor husband is in training school. Alexander Knox ( the Longest Day) is her hubby Max. Look for Charles Coburn (Monkey Business, Gentlemen prefer Blondes) as the stuffy, commanding, newspaper boss. Also look for Cora Witherspoon as Mrs. Gates, from The Women, Bank Dick, Libeled Lady. War story written for the wives' point of view, which wasn't too common in those days. fun commentary on the shabby condition of the "married housing"; Irene's wardrobe in this film certainly wasn't at all shabby.. since they never had to leave their little cottage, it appears the whole movie budget was spent on her always-exquisite dresses and hats.

This American film has all the elements of the talked about, but little known "Flag Waver". While films like "Tender Comrade" and "Days of Glory" have become well known, this one has languished in obscurity. It is a lot less dramatic, but the illustrations of life stateside in wartime were revealing. Rationing, overcrowding, and folks pulling together to achieve a better life are well depicted. I can watch any movie with Irene Dunne, even if it is otherwise unremarkable.