- editor rating
-
2
- user rating
- flags
-
- Suitable for Children
- genres
- sub-genres
- category
- Feature
- directed by
- countries
- USA
- released
- 1950
- run time
- 85 min.
- produced by
- Columbia Pictures
(1950)
2
Craig Butler
Dedicated fans on the inimitable Rosalind Russell will most enjoy A Woman of Distinction, a decidedly minor little comedy that gets by solely on the strength of its star and the cast that gamely supports her. Russell suffered through many a role and film that were not worthy of her talents, usually -- as in this case -- elevating the whole enterprise far more than the material deserved. It's an uphill battle with Distinction, one of those "let's take that stuffy career women off her high horse and show her the joys of marriage" flicks that are especially painful to view in modern times. In order to work for today's audiences, these kind of films need genuine wit in the dialogue, or a truly imaginative set-up of interesting circumstances, or at the very least a director with flair and verve. Distinction has none of these, settling instead for hackneyed dialogue, slapstick situations of the most obvious kind and, in Edward N. Buzzell, a journeyman director offering capable, by-the-book work. But there's always Russell, gamely trying anything that's asked of her and finding some way to make it come off as amusing. Ray Milland does fairly well as the eventual love interest; much better is Edmund Gwenn, lovable as Russell's father. There's also some able support from others in minor roles.
A Woman of Distinction on AllMovie
A Woman of Distinction (1950)
