(1969)2Craig ButlerLogic flies out the window at an alarmingly fast speed in How to Commit a Marriage, a decidedly unfunny Bob Hope comedy that tries very hard to be hip but is hopelessly square instead. Hope comedies, of course, are not necessarily grounded in logic and reality, but this one lacks the dizzy inventiveness that the comic achieved in his successful films. It's all very tired here and more than slightly embarrassing, as the viewers watch Hope, Jackie Gleason, and Jane Wyman essentially make fools of themselves as they try to keep "up to date" with the late '60s -- but do so in a highly conventional way. The way that the youth culture is portrayed is enough to make you shudder, which wouldn't be so bad if the rest of the film wasn't similarly a misfire. Worst of all, there's nary a decent laugh in the whole film. The stars try hard, and they at least succeed in making Marriage somewhat bearable; it may not sound like much, but considering the screenplay, that's quite an achievement.
