On the heels of the 1978 supernatural comedy "Heaven Can Wait", Hollywood once again used a dead character as the antagonist in a screwball comedy. A great cast but just an average script dominates the story of widow Sally Field on the verge of marrying Metropolitan Museum of Art Exhibit designer Jeff Bridges and returning to her old house for the first time since the death of her first husband, Broadway director James Caan. But Caan hasn't left even though he's deceased, and hangs around as Field and Bridges plan their future. Caan's ghost apparently has the ability to follow Field and Bridges everywhere they go, which includes escorting Field by herself to the Broadway Theater where his last show is still playing and to the country where they encounter a bunch of confused guest at the bed-and-breakfast run by the delightful Mildred Natwick.
There's a sense of deja vu and "I've seen this plot before" (only done better) in films such as "Heaven Can Wait" and the "Topper" series (both on film and TV), but the trio of stars seem to be having such a delightful time that it is fun to watch their insane antics. Field once again proves herself to be a natural funny lady, and Caan (who ironically played Broadway producer Billy Rose in the Fanny Brice movie sequel "Funny Lady") is delightfully over-the-top. This leaves Bridges with the least interesting of the characters, but somehow he plays this nebbish man so brilliantly that it hardly seems like he is acting.
Veteran Oscar-winning actress Claire Trevor makes a triumphant return to the screen in a delightfully catty role as Field's opinionated mother and pretty much steals every scene that she is in with what she says and with what she wears. Natwick is delightfully befuddled in her lengthy portion of the film, a testament to her performance in "Blithe Spirit". A beautiful title song written by Peter Allen is heard over the opening and closing credits but unfortunately did not get an Academy Award nomination due to the abundance of movie songs written at the time. While this is far from a perfect film, it is still extremely likeable in many aspects and most importantly has managed to stand the test of time.
There's a sense of deja vu and "I've seen this plot before" (only done better) in films such as "Heaven Can Wait" and the "Topper" series (both on film and TV), but the trio of stars seem to be having such a delightful time that it is fun to watch their insane antics. Field once again proves herself to be a natural funny lady, and Caan (who ironically played Broadway producer Billy Rose in the Fanny Brice movie sequel "Funny Lady") is delightfully over-the-top. This leaves Bridges with the least interesting of the characters, but somehow he plays this nebbish man so brilliantly that it hardly seems like he is acting.
Veteran Oscar-winning actress Claire Trevor makes a triumphant return to the screen in a delightfully catty role as Field's opinionated mother and pretty much steals every scene that she is in with what she says and with what she wears. Natwick is delightfully befuddled in her lengthy portion of the film, a testament to her performance in "Blithe Spirit". A beautiful title song written by Peter Allen is heard over the opening and closing credits but unfortunately did not get an Academy Award nomination due to the abundance of movie songs written at the time. While this is far from a perfect film, it is still extremely likeable in many aspects and most importantly has managed to stand the test of time.