This film deserves the accolades other reviewers have heaped on it except for one thing: stereotypes, especially of the black characters. OK, it stretches credibility when the family, and a large one at that, has no visible means of support yet lives in relative opulence, especially for the Depression. They even have servants! One is forced to assume, because it is never revealed, that Grandpa had been so successful when he rode back down the elevator that he was set for life. Or that his daughter's plays, or his son-in-law's firecrackers are moneymakers.
Anyway we can leave all that aside; after all it is a comedy, and I must admit a very funny one. Barrymore is admirable, performing on crutches due to his crippling arthritis. And the chemistry between Jean Arthur and James Stewart is a veritable wonder. Individually they both shine in their roles. Together they are dazzling.
But oh how the portrayal of the two black characters rankles. Not the fact they cooked or ran errands, there's nothing demeaning in that, but how much better of a film it would have been if they actually sat at the table with the rest of the family instead of being relegated to the sidelines. That's the major flaw here and it's a heartbreaking one given the excellence of the rest of this film.
Anyway we can leave all that aside; after all it is a comedy, and I must admit a very funny one. Barrymore is admirable, performing on crutches due to his crippling arthritis. And the chemistry between Jean Arthur and James Stewart is a veritable wonder. Individually they both shine in their roles. Together they are dazzling.
But oh how the portrayal of the two black characters rankles. Not the fact they cooked or ran errands, there's nothing demeaning in that, but how much better of a film it would have been if they actually sat at the table with the rest of the family instead of being relegated to the sidelines. That's the major flaw here and it's a heartbreaking one given the excellence of the rest of this film.