Moviecut—Government Girl

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source: Government Girl

Government Girl

. . . the city of Detroit. When U. S. war hero President FDR realizes that America has no chance of winning World War Two without its Motor City taking a leading role, he summons Detroit auto plant veteran Ed Brown to Washington, DC, to put the entire U. S. War Effort on a Detroit footing. As Eminem later sang in EIGHT MILE's "Lose Your Elf" ballad, Detroiters know how to seize the moment, no matter who tries to get in their way. From Ambrose Bierce to Judge Crater and Jimmy Hoffa, anyone itching to become a fly in America's ointment soon "disappeared" in a foundation truss for another sudden Tiger Stadium expansion. As Mr. Brown builds airplane factories all across our USA homeland during GOVERNMENT GIRL, you can bet that tons of Fat Cat One Per Center Axis Fifth Column Collaborator-Traitors are going "missing" among the cement floors, walls and columns during this unprecedented time of growth for the old ball park. After all, that's the Detroit Way.

I used to think that Olivia DeHavilland could do no wrong. I'd only seen her in good films, where she was usually perfect. Remember her incredible performances in "Gone With The Wind", "Robin Hood", "The Heiress", "Captain Blood", and even in "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte"? Little did I know the kind of scenery-chewing she's capable of when left without a script or a leading man! This could never have been anything but a formulaic yawner, a didactically patriotic wartime comedy about a dynamic Young Bureaucrat and His Girl Friday would have been deadly even if they had cast Tracy and Hepburn. But in the hands this bad it becomes almost worth watching!

Been TRYING to sit through it this morning...but it's killing me! Too screwbally - Not Olivia's forte. Her character's constant bellowing & gnashing is torture. Oh well. It made a million bucks- that was a consolation to a few lucky souls.

Olivia deHavilland plays a wacky woman with good intentions. The foundation of this comedy has to do with people that don't listen to one another. If things had been allowed to calm down for a moment, there wouldn't be all this trouble. They also make speeches, ignoring the situation. It is filled with sight gags and lost documents and deadlines missed and rooms unavailable. Of course, we know that those who become the most combative are bound to eventually hook up. But the path to this is filled with pratfalls and silly dialogue that isn't particular funny. DeHavilland does lots of screeching and accusing and everything is totally predictable. I suppose in 1943, a vacuous comedy would have been met positively. Not horrible but nothing to write home about.

Have watched Government Girl and enjoyed the interaction between the two stars. Although Sonny Tufts career was short lived, he is fun to watch. As an actor who was 6'4" he at times seems to fill the room he is in. His costar shines. Having seen her in To Each His Own,it is fun to see her in a lot of funny situations. The scenes in the bedroom and the lobby of the hotel really show her comedic talent. The part about the different initials of the different departments is really funny. Even funnier to that many of the departments really did exist during the war. A lot of bright and fluffy movies were made to lighten the days during the war and this was one of them.

I must disagree with the person who first commented on the rating of this movie. I've seen this movie many times. True, it has some scripts that could have been better written, particularly for such a wonderfully and already famous actress Olivia De Havilland, but I don't think it was a bomb. It's really not such a bad movie--not the greatest in the world, but--worth watching if you're an avid fan of De Havilland! :o)