Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business (1941)

Genres - Drama  |   Release Date - Aug 27, 1941 (USA - Unknown), Aug 27, 1941 (USA)  |   Run Time - 96 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

The Hollywood "establishment" had been waiting a long time for maverick director Gregory La Cava to fall from grace, and when his Unfinished Business failed to live up to its expectations, La Cava's enemies swooped down like vultures. Seen today, the film is hardly one of the director's best efforts, but neither is it his worst. Irene Dunne stars as aspiring singer Nancy Andrews, who falls desperately in love with playboy Steve Duncan (Preston Foster). When it becomes clear that Steve isn't about to take their casual relationship seriously, Nancy marries his brother Tommy (Robert Montgomery) on the rebound. After a fun-filled honeymoon, the couple can't seem to adjust to the "normalcy" of married life; as a result of this and Nancy's ongoing fascination with older brother Steve, the disillusioned Tommy walks out on her and joins the army. Only when Nancy deals with the "unfinished business" of her unrequited love for Steve can she and Tommy find true happiness. There are many deft LaCava-esque directorial touches in Unfinished Business, but for the most part the film could have been made by any Hollywood director; still, the film does not deserve its current tarnished reputation.

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Keywords

big-city, brother, business, child, fame, father, love, love-triangle, marriage, newlywed, nightclub, opera, reconciliation, regret, revenge, romance, search, sibling, songwriter