(1963)
2.5
Craig Butler
A Global Affair is a middling Bob Hope comedy that fans of the comic will enjoy -- as will fans of the "swinging" early 1960's. Indeed, Global really goes in for "cool" as only Hollywood in 1963 could define it; this means it's nothing resembling genuine cool, but it's so artificial and, ultimately, square that it provides a good deal of entertainment. Without the period "charm" to distract, Global can be a bit on the dull side; it's formulaic to the extreme, with stock characters, predictable situations and gag set-ups that can be seen coming a mile away. By this time, Hope had settled into a rut as far as his acting was concerned; the laconic style he perfected earlier in his career has become far too easy for him, and while he can put across a joke when he wants, he doesn't really seem to have his heart in it. Global's heart, meanwhile, is in the right place in terms of what it wants to say about peace and humanity, but it says it in the most obvious manner. Jack Arnold's direction is adequate but no more so, but he does have a supporting cast of worthy players such as Reta Shaw, Yvonne De Carlo, John McGiver and Liselotte Pulver that helps to brighten things up.
A Global Affair on AllMovie
A Global Affair (1963)
