The Lovely Lee Grant Blogathon – Divorce American Style (1967)

This is my final of 3 reviews for the The Lovely Lee Grant Blogathon 2018 being hosted by Gill of WeegieMidget  and Chris of Angelman’s Place

Tnx for letting me partake Guys!

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“So, since when do men grow up? They just grow old. You know what I call this apartment sometimes? Boys’ Town.” – Dede Murphy

Number of Times Seen – 1 (20 Aug 2018)

Brief Synopsis – After 17 years of marriage, a couple decides that it’s time to split up and things get completely out of hand.

My Take on it – This is a film that I had never heard of before and came across when researching a film starring Lee Grant for this blogathon.

They do an amazing job with this idea and somehow managed to make this film feel so timeless because life can truly get very complicated after divorce.

The cats of this film is amazing and at first glance one would expect both Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynold to be wrong for these parts yet they both manage to flourish here throughout.

In addition to them, the supporting cast is perfectly chosen with Jason Robards, Lee Grant, Jean Simmons, Tom Bosley and Van Johnson all adding to the fun (and seriousness) of the situations.

The story of this film comes across quite realistic and genuine and even after 50 years if all feels still relevant and “on the mark” especially when portraying people who only what happiness in life even after going through a divorce.

It’s actually quite scary how much things haven’t changed.

Bottom Line – Great film that manages to take a timeless situation and show how complicated things can get. Cast is amazing and both Van Dyke and Reynolds are superb despite the fact that they both are seemingly miscast in these kind of roles.  The supporting cast is also great and Robards, Grant, Simmons, Bosley, and Johnson are all perfect here. The story comes across as being quite realistic and it seems as if not much has changed in the 50 years since this film was made with regards to the way of life for divorced people especially when they want to try and find a way to live a normal life. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The judge presiding over divorce proceedings in the film is played by John J. Anthony, a real-life marriage guidance counselor. This was his only acting role in a film. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

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