AllMovie

For the most part, one Andy Hardy film is pretty much like another, and Andy Hardy's Double Life is no exception. If it's a bit better than some of the other entries in the series, it's not because anything truly original happens in it. Oh, sure, good old Andy does finally leave high school and go to college, but that's just a change of setting. There are still familiar faces aplenty among the supporting cast, and the main problems still revolve around Andy's brashness and rashness, his awkward way of getting involved with more girls than he should, and his inability to handle his finances in a responsible manner. What makes Double stand ever-so-slightly above the average entries is the smoothness with which everything happens. It's a well-oiled machine, from Mickey Rooney's energetic performance that knows all the notes it's supposed to hit to George B. Seitz's keep-it-coming direction, which sets up the scenes, lets them play their proper length and then quickly moves on to the next, to the dependable art direction of Cedric Gibbons, which makes sure that all the right flowers are in place on the table and all the houses are sufficiently Middle American. Also helping to pop Double up a notch is the presence of the very young and beautiful Esther Williams, not yet the aquatic star she very soon would become. Fans of the series will find Double pleasant and enjoyable; those who don't care for the series might find this one slightly more pleasing but aren't likely to find much that makes them anxious to stick around for another entry.