MovieChat Forums > Once Upon a Time (1944) Discussion > weird plot with some humorous moments

weird plot with some humorous moments

posted 15 years ago by jonjospink
3 replies | jump to latest

Just watched this with my 11 year old son who thought it was incredibly slow, although he was actually watching it at various points. I guess it was originally devised to raise the spirits of a wartime audience, but the plot is tenuous to say the least - I couldn't help thinking it was some sort of allegory, but of what? Of course Cary Grant is always watchable, but I don't suppose he was too proud of it in later years. The boy, Pinkie, is probably the most convincing part of the film.

A couple of things didn't ring true: the sister's suddenly becoming enamoured with Jerry after being quite cruel to him, and the fact that after his best and meanest efforts, he still doesn't lose the theatre.

The scenes with the scientists are probably the funniest.

[–] garyleewebb-1 13 years ago

It is hard to keep interested through the film. Just when I peg it as a comedy, something dramatic would come up(Cary Grant slapping a kid!).
I agree with the previous reviewer that the sister was a cardboard character, only meant to keep the story going, despite the logic.
I realize that they needed the metaphor of a caterpillar blossoming into a butterfly, but I would have preferred a furry animal instead.

[–] garyleewebb-1 13 years ago

While watching this movie, I kept thinking that the sister looked familiar.Well, I watched an earlier film with Rosalind Russell and Janet Blair called My sister Eileen. Janet Blair was great in that role.

[–] mustang_steph 10 years ago

If someone slapped my little brother and chased him around the room in order to steal his favorite little pet friend, you sure wouldn't see me smiling and batting my eyelashes at him. The sister character was ridiculous.