This is a fascinating picture for Stewart fans. Made after "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and in the same year as "The Philadelphia Story," "No Time" adds an interesting pre-war wrinkle to Stewart's on screen persona. At a time when he was most associated with the "aw-shucks" stereotype of the All-American naif, his Gaylord Esterbrook must have come as a shock to movie-going audiences. Gaylord begins as another one of Stewart's lovable rubes, but by picture's end he's become a cynical sophisticate - and Stewart's handling of the transformation is seamless. He's surprisingly good at playing the gruff curmudgeon and a man on the verge of an extra-marital affair - another atypical Stewart-like development. Likewise, the film itself mirrors Gaylord's personal and artistic transformation, beginning as a typically bubbly romantic comedy but turning bitingly (yet still amusingly) sour by the second act. After a series of comeuppances, Gaylord comes up against his limitations and the final scene -- a confession of humility delivered as a monologue to a seemingly non-existent audience -- is truly moving in the tradition of some of Stewart's finest moments. Lovely.
Reviews
2 Reviews
I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood
(1989 TV Movie)
Classic
24 May 2006
I haven't seen this special for years, but have committed large chunks of it to memory... One of the great little-known comic gems in existence! That is, if it is still in existence. Short brilliantly sends up showbiz egomania years before it was fashionable. And there are some inspired bits of Short and Christopher Guest improv post-Spinal Tap and pre-everything-else Christopher Guest has done. If you think that Jiminy Glick thing Short's been doing of late is any good (and I don't), you owe it to yourself to see this. This is the kind of work Short was capable of before he felt he had to pander for easy laughs in his Glick fat suit.
Tell Your Friends