My Man Godfrey
Universal Pictures | Release Date: September 6, 1936 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
82
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
One of the treasures of 1930s screwball comedy. Read full review
100
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
One of the better, if not the best, of the famous screwball comedies of the era, Godfrey stands as an excellent example of witty scripting, direction, and editing. Read full review
90
Village VoiceHazel-Dawn Dumpert
In one of her greatest roles, as burbling blonde heiress Irene Bullock in Gregory La Cava’s 1934 screwball masterpiece My Man Godfrey, Lombard creates a ditz so rare, a creature so otherwordly in her oblivion to what others call reality, that she comes off less as a thing of flesh and blood than as a shimmering cloud of butterflies flying in perfect, girl-shaped formation. Read full review
90
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
One of the first and still among the best of the '30s screwball comedies, My Man Godfrey serves up absurdist romance and light social commentary in a fizzy mix that benefits from director Gregory La Cava's willingness to indulge improvisation, a trait he acquired from friend and frequent collaborator W.C. Fields. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineJake Cole
La Cava’s supple but cutting romantic comedy is one of the finest works of class-conscious comedy in Hollywood history. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
La Cava was famous for improvising his scenes; My Man Godfrey is the most brilliant, unbuttoned example. It's a champagne farce, sparkling and bubbling from the depths of the Depression. [08 Jun 2007, p.C9]
80
The New York TimesFrank S. Nugent
An exuberantly funny picture. Read full review
80
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
William Powell and Carole Lombard are pleasantly teamed in this splendidly produced comedy. Story is balmy, but not too much so, and lends itself to the sophisticated screen treatment of Eric Hatch's novel. Read full review
80
CineVueChristopher Machell
Chaplin built his reputation of finding the poignant humour in poverty, and many screwball comedies of the sound era invariably touched on the Depression, none more so than Gregory La Cava’s 1936 My Man Godfrey. Read full review
80
The GuardianPamela Hutchinson
The humour in My Man Godfrey is madcap, but in the best way. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesZan Dubin
Anyone who loves a classic 1930s-style screwball comedy should check out My Man Godfrey. [25 Feb 1999, p.F16]
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
This is witty romantic comedy with barbed social commentary. Read full review
70
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
The film has lost some of its allure over the years, but it's still streets and streets ahead of the addled whimsy favoured by latter-day Hollywood. Read full review
70
The New YorkerPauline Kael
The movie starts out with a promising satiric idea and winds up in box-office romance, but it's likable and well-paced even at its silliest.
63
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Gregory La Cava's improvisational style received its highest critical acclaim for this 1936 film, a marginally Marxist exercise in class confusion during the Depression. Read full review
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