Now here’s a good movie! At the most basic level it is just
a light-hearted romantic comedy, but everything is executed so competently, and
the performances by Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert so convincing, that it
feels like a masterpiece. Which, of course, it is; it’s one of only three
movies to win the “Big Five” Oscars: best picture, best actor, best actress,
best director, and best screenplay (the others are
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and
The Silence of the Lambs).
Gable earned his reputation as one of the greatest stars in
the history of Hollywood by coming across as effortlessly charming and
likeable, and it’s a testament both to his charisma and acting ability how
easily I fell for him in this film. But Colbert’s performance should not be overlooked.
She plays the daughter of a rich banker, and she is able to portray her
spoiled, petulant side to perfection.
While boating with her father, Colbert jumps overboard after
he objects to her marriage to another rich magnate (named King, of course). She
eludes capture, makes it to shore in Miami, buys a bus ticket to New York, and
meets Clark Gable, who happens to be on the same bus. They argue over a seat,
and soon enough, due to a series of misadventures, he is leading her on a
journey back to New York, except they don’t have that bus helping them out
anymore.
