review for Father Goose on AllMovie

Father Goose (1964)
by Richard Gilliam review

Father Goose is a favorite of Cary Grant fans, even though it indicates his limitations as an actor: he rarely stops being his usual charming and sophisticated self to transform into Walter Eckland, drunk and loner. The film, though, is a audience pleaser, thanks significantly to the Oscar-winning screenplay by S.H. Barnett, Peter Stone, and Frank Tarloff, which expertly exploits the humor inherent in the school marm-versus-reprobate plot. What works about the film is the chemistry between Grant and co-star Leslie Caron. The film has a nice, pleasant look, thanks largely to the cinematography of Charles Lang and the work of director Ralph Nelson, who seems to grasp the lack of seriousness of the material.