When housewife Doris Day gets a little taste of celebrity (doing a live TV commercial once a week) it burns her doctor-husband up. He can't stand it when she is asked for autographs, when he sees her picture on a billboard advertisement, when her fame gets them a great table in a restaurant and--most especially--the fact that she's making nearly $100K a year. But when her sponsors secretly put a swimming pool in their backyard, and the husband drives into it with his car, he's had enough! He yells at her, "Your rights as a woman are suffocating my rights as a man!" He pretends to date another woman and returns home "drunk", singing "How Dry I Am". None of this stuff belongs in a fluffball comedy. I enjoyed the satirical TV bits, all of Doris' TV commercials are highlights, the German maid is a hoot. But James Garner's role as the infuriated, jealous hubby who's had his ego bruised is an outdated drag. Doris is effervescent as usual (she's particularly good with the two cute kids in the film, and her hissy-fit after a row with Garner is to be cherished), but there's not much "Thrill" in watching Garner trying to belittle her. As for the sub-plot about an elderly couple expecting their first child...when does menopause start again? **1/2 from ****
Review of The Thrill of It All
