Roughly Speaking

Rosalind Russell plays Louise Randall Pierson (someone I've never heard of, but this is based on her autobiography). Directed by Michael Curtiz, it showcases Russell and the often underrated Jack Carson as they face financial feast and famine and an ever-expanding family. Russell is tough, and unapologetic, and Carson is her equal. The film, coming from 1945, has a strange cliff hanging effect, as it ends with the beginning of World War II, and you wonder what will happen next. At the time it must have hit home for a lot of families with men (and women) fighting overseas. But I would strongly recommend it as a movie to watch before the films "Since You Went Away", with Claudette Colbert which chronicles life at home during the war, and "Best Years of Their Lives", which is probably the best coming-home-from-war film ever made. The three would make a great sequential view of life from the turn of the century to post WWII America. 8.5 out of 10.

Until I happened to catch it on the Turner Classic Movies channel, I'd never heard of Roughly Speaking. It turns out to be a charming and genuinely funny romantic comedy, set during the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and the 1939-40 New York World's Fair. Roz Russell and Jack Carson, as a married couple raising a family, keep us wondering what crazy scheme they will cook up next in order to survive hard times. Their optimism is contagious. This family laughs a lot, especially when everything is going wrong, and it's real laughter--the kind that makes me laugh along with them. The ending seemed kind of abrupt, but apart from that, I found this movie great fun and often quite touching.

'Roughly Speaking' sounded really interesting. Really like to love a vast majority of Michael Curtiz's films and even his lesser output is watchable, with him directing two of my favourite films of all times. Rosalind Russell was always well worth watching, many of her performances full of grace and wit. Usually see Jack Carson in more comedic roles and he was usually in support rather than lead, so a relative change of pace was always welcome. The story on paper intrigued.

As did the film overall. It is not quite perfect, but there is very little wrong and what doesn't quite come off is pretty minor. The good things are many and the best of them are done brilliantly. It's adapted from the personal life of a very eccentric person and it is a very colourful personal life, the person in question being Louise Randall Pierson who also adapts her own autobiography that 'Roughly Speaking' is adapted from. Making for a very good film overall that should be seen more.

Maybe 'Roughly Speaking' is slightly overlong by about 15-20 minutes and tries to include too much. The film never stops being interesting and a lot is covered, all interesting but with Pierson wanting to include as much as she could the "not knowing when to stop" approach was occasionally an undoing when it sometimes felt on the overstuffed side.

So much is great though in 'Roughly Speaking'. Russell is both gritty and charming, a truly great performance and manages to make an eccentric and potentially caricaturish person in the wrong hands likeable and interesting. Carson shows that he is equally at home in dramatic roles and also that he was not out of his depth as a lead like some predominently supporting actors/actresses in lead roles have been before and since. All the performances are fine, apart from dull Robert Hutton.

Curtiz directs with skill, both visually and in how he approaches the material. 'Roughly Speaking' is beautifully shot and is never over-elaborate or static while also being handsomely and evocatively designed. The film balances comedy and drama very, very well. Both are very well handled individually, the comedy having bite and sparkling wit and the drama being genuinely moving without going overboard on the bathos. The balance is just right with one not being favoured over the other and any tonal shifts don't feel jerky, abrupt or random.

The story is always compelling and a lot happens, too much admittedly at times, in a way that's fun, moving and truthful. It is easy to relate to what happens too. Max Steiner's score is quite charming and lush without being excessive. While Pierson is the most colourful of the characters, the characters still feel like real people with real human conflicts and such.

Overall, very, very good. 8/10

Having lived throughout the depression and the Presidency of F D R, I was pleasantly surprised when I happened upon Roughly Speaking on T C M last week. Somehow,in all these years of movie going and viewing,I never had a clue about this moving film.

The author expertly weaves into the plot glimpses of those bygone days.. The early airplanes,the the struggle to ride out the lean times.

The staid mother's daughter having fought the same crippling disease as had the President,the stock market crash the early war years.

Her heart wrenching scene watching all three sons go off to war.

Although the movie depicted the triumph over adversity women of the thirties/forties achieved, the young women of today are the daughters and grand daughters of the multi taskers of my mother's day

I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to all American women. Edouarto.

Rosalind Russell was just right for this movie. Bette was a great actress, but I cannot imagine her as Auntie Mame. Same with the heroin of Roughly Speaking. Russell played it just right, with a touch of laughter and a touch of pathos. It is about a woman who lives through: Divorce, polio, the Depression, one monetary failure after another, and finally seeing her sons off to fight in WWII. However, you see that it makes her family stronger, they learn to fight thru their problems and come out better for it. It is this movie that made me fall in love with Jack Carson. Jack Carson never really made it as a top, top star. In fact in most of his movies he played a buffoon or a jerk. But in Rougly Speaking he plays the kind of man most women wish we were married to. It is my opinion that he pretty much played himself. I recommend it: It comes on TCM regularly, if you have not seen it you are in for a real treat. Watch out for Roughly Speaking you will love it.