(1944)
2.5
Craig Butler
Casanova Brown starts out like a house afire and shows every indication of being a marvelously fun romantic comedy. But about halfway through it hits a bump that throws it off course, with the result that Brown ends up only partially satisfying. That "bump" is the major plot point in which the title character absconds from the hospital with his daughter, because his ex-wife is threatening to give the child up for adoption. This derails the picture on a couple of counts: one, the mother (played by Teresa Wright) is only making this threat as a way of getting hubby Gary Cooper back (and not letting him marry his new love interest). Two, the picture then becomes about Cooper's "on the lam" attempt to take care of the baby without getting caught by the police. To modern audiences, at least, this second factor will be very uncomfortable, as Cooper's actions seems obsessive and could easily have put the baby into serious danger. The screenplay's tone changes at this point and the film never recovers, which is a shame, as it had been a bright, lively and thoroughly engaging picture up to that point. Cooper is in absolutely delightful form, and Wright is as lovely and appealing as ever. There's also the bonus of a hilarious turn from Frank Morgan as the father of Cooper's new fiancé, who has some acerbic opinions regarding the state of matrimony.
Casanova Brown on AllMovie
Casanova Brown (1944)
