Fast and Loose

'Fast Company' (already reviewed a few months back), 'Fast and Loose' and 'Fast and Furious' have been inevitably been compared to the generally superior Thin Man film series, also featuring husband and wife sleuths and mixing comedy and mystery with some of the biggest stars at that point in film history. Of the three 'Fast...' films, my personal favourite is 'Fast Company', which fared the best at balancing comedy and mystery and has the most eventful and most cohesive story although the two leads' chemistry is better here in 'Fast and Loose'.

The second film 1939's 'Fast and Loose' is a fun and inoffensive enough entry in the series but despite preferring the chemistry here and the female lead is superior here, as said already comedy and mystery were balanced better in comedy and mystery and did prefer the story in 'Fast Company'. Not that those elements were done badly here in 'Fast and Loose', just that they were done better before. This is a very watchable film if not a must watch.

Will begin with what is good. Fred MacMurray is charming and commands the screen very well, with strong comic timing. Rosalind Russell is even better when it comes to the comic delivery, never looks ill at ease, looks great and very easy to like, to me she has more presence here than Florence Rice did in 'Fast Company'. They have a very endearing and witty chemistry together that really helps lift the film, of all the 'Fast...' films this is the film for me that had the most spark between its two leads. It is slickly directed and the supporting cast do well, the standout being Etienne Giradot.

Generally the script is snappy and sophisticated enough and the story does intrigues. The production values are slick and have some elegance and William Axt's score has some moodiness and light-hearted edge.

At times though, the film could have gone at a tighter pace and could have been shorter as there isn't enough plot structurally to sustain the film. There are also a few too many twists and characters which made it not always easy to follow, parts are downright confusing. The ending seemed rushed and could have been a little more suspenseful.

Not all the characters seemed necessary to the story and seemed there to pad things out.

Decent film overall but not great. It does well in the comedy and falls a little short when it came to the mystery. 6/10

Comedy/murder-mystery with a plot that's a bit rambling, but the action is considerably boosted up by the smart, snappy patter and chemistry between the two leads, Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. They play a husband/wife duo who own a rare book business, sleep in twin beds, and soon get themselves mixed up with a house full of murder, intrigue, and the constant back and forth of characters appearing in satin robes or satin gowns as our couple plays detective to try and find out who is behind the mystery of a forged Shakespeare manuscript.

This film is fun, though the plot is sort of hard to follow, and there are too many boring side characters that don't really add anything to the mix. But - Rosalind Russell is smart and funny, as usual, and gets to appear in lots of gorgeous dresses and gowns, as usual. Robert Montgomery, well, is just so darn charming and attractive, how can he miss (okay, I admit I have a crush - I'm afraid my feelings about this film may have been altered based on the fact I'm still swooning over him). Mediocre story, but nicely played by the two leads who really seemed like a married couple to me (I thought it was cute when she tied a little ribbon into a bow around a strand of his thinning hair).

Here's the story of the entertainment industry; if something works then copy it. What was working back in the 30's was The Thin Man, the very popular series with William Powell and Myrna Loy. So, every other studio including the poverty row ones cranked out clones featuring husband and wife teams solving mysteries. The best of these, in my opinion were the three films featuring book seller and part-time detective Joel Sloane and his wife Garda. Each of the three films featured a different set of actors playing the Sloanes. The first film, "Fast Company" starred Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice followed by this film with Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. The last of the films, "Fast and Furious" had Franchot Tone and Ann Sothern. I like all three films, but this one is my favorite probably because I really like Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell, but also because the supporting cast was also good displaying the talents of Reginald Owen and Sidney Blackmer. It's also a good story and nice mystery with some great comic relief. The chemistry between Montgomery and Russell seemed genuine to me and unlike one other reviewer I thought Mongomery transitioned well between the comedy and action elements of the story. Any comparison between this film and the disappointing Lord Peter Wimsey story "Haunted Honeymoon" is way off base. Again, I like all three of the films and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys the mystery films from this era. I've watched this one many times and continue to find it funny and entertaining with each viewing. This may not match the best of the Thin Man movies, but it's far better than a couple of the weaker entries.

Serviceable part-time-detective story set in the world of rare-book collecting and presented in the Thin Man style. (The writer, Harry Kurnitz, later contributed to the 4th and 5th Thin Man movies.)

Points for premise and some good one-liners ("I request the pleasure of your absence"); unfortunately, the leads wear their roles with all the comfort of sackcloth. Robert Montgomery's transitions between lighthearted husband and tough-guy sleuth are awkward -- like he was just rehearsing to be Lord Peter Wimsey in "Haunted Honeymoon" a year later -- and the usually superior Rosalind Russell as a "wifey" isn't sharp enough for the Nora Charles league.

Otherwise, it's an OK way to kill some time on a rainy afternoon ... but I wouldn't waste 1.5 hours of videotape to watch it later.

I love the films with Robert Montgomery. There was no one better at light comedy roles. And Roz was no slouch either. That's why this picture was so disappointing.

This picture is about two murders and 40 minutes too long. Don't try to keep up with who killed whom and why-you'll get a headache! Normally with a 30's whodunit you wouldn't expect to keep up with the plot twists. But here they just bog down the lifeless story more. It's dull and formulaic. Only the charm, wit and affection of the stars make this watchable at all.

But still, I'm not sorry I saw It-because as a film "buff," I wouldn't have believed otherwise that Montgomery and Roz had made such a stinker!