AllMovie

A somewhat unusual and mildly diverting baseball comedy, Rhubarb is a pleasant enough (and undemanding enough) way to while away 90 minutes or so. It's also a bit of a disappointment, for Rhubarb is a film that often seems on the brink of catching fire and taking off but never seems able to quite capture that needed spark. Part of the problem, perhaps, is the title character; Rhubarb is too feisty to engage a lot of audience warmth, but the feistiness is too self-directed and so the audience stays a bit removed. The screenplay is also to blame; it's funny but not funny enough for long enough. And when dealing with a plot of this sort, a sustained and high degree of humor is vital. But Rhubarb does have a good cast, with Ray Milland in very fine form, playing all the notes of exasperation, frustration and irritation at just the right pitch. Jan Sterling is lovely company, Gene Lockhart is quite good, and William Frawley is William Frawley, which is all to the good. Arthur Lubin's direction is smooth, if unexceptional. The cameo by Paul Douglas is a delight.