The Lady Eve

Name: The Lady Eve
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: March 21, 1941
Duration: 94 min
Rating: 96
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Charles Coburn, Eric Blore, Eugene Pallette, Henry Fonda

1941

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Ratings

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6.7

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6.7	Your Score
6.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Ratings

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The Lady Eve

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: March 21, 1941 | Passed

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Charles Coburn, Eric Blore, Eugene Pallette, Henry Fonda, Janet Beecher, Martha O'Driscoll, Melville Cooper, Robert Greig, William Demarest

Summary: A trio of classy card sharks targets the socially awkward heir to brewery millions for his money, until one of them falls in love with him.

Director: Preston Sturges

Genre(s): Comedy, Romance

Rating: Passed

Runtime: 94 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

If I were asked to name the single scene in all of romantic comedy that was sexiest and funniest at the same time, I would advise beginning at six seconds past the 20-minute mark in Preston Sturges' The Lady Eve, and watching as Barbara Stanwyck toys with Henry Fonda's hair in an unbroken shot that lasts three minutes and 51 seconds. Read full review

100

Kenneth Turan

Preston Sturges was arguably the most gifted writer-director of sound comedies Hollywood has ever produced, and this Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda standoff is his masterpiece. [03 Apr 2020, p.E1]

100

Hal Hinson

Nowhere was American comedy in the '40s more frivolously sophisticated than in the movies of Preston Sturges, and The Lady Eve is his most satisfying romantic film. [05 May 1988, p.C7]

100

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Stanwyck supplies a bravura double performance, a showcase for her brilliant versatility. Read full review

The Telegraph Tim Robey

Stanwyck, in her absolute prime, is hard to touch - even Katharine Hepburn, or Claudette Colbert, who was originally supposed to play Jean, might have struggled to make her quite such sly and mesmerising company. Sturges feeds her subtle innuendos by the cartload. [19 Mar 2013]

Staff (Not Credited)

Laugh entertainment of top proportions with its combo of slick situations, spontaneous dialog and a few slapstick falls tossed in for good measure. Read full review

Steve Persall

Fonda's comedy instincts are in top form as a herpetologist duped by a con artist (Barbara Stanwyck) in a screwball comedy from director Preston Sturges. A vintage example of pratfalling into love. [16 May 2002, p.11W]

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User Reviews

thefruitman

Jan 16, 2021

Fruitman Reviews: Top 52 Movies of all Time. #52: The Lady Eve
Date: 17-01-2021
Author: Tim Yeend Genre: Comedy, Romance Metacritic Score: 96 Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes Original Release: March 21st 1941 General Review: Being only the second black and white film I have ever seen I wasn’tFruitman Reviews: Top 52 Movies of all Time. #52: The Lady Eve
Date: 17-01-2021
Author: Tim Yeend
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Metacritic Score: 96
Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes
Original Release: March 21st 1941

General Review:
Being only the second black and white film I have ever seen I wasn’t sure what the expect. Romance films are not normally my cup of tea but I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. I found myself genuinely interested in the characters. Throughout the movie I was enthralled with finding out how it would end, however the ending was somewhat of a letdown.

The Good:
The acting by both the main actors (Barbara Stanwyck as the titular lady eve and Henry Fonda as the love interest Charles) was fantastic. The rest of the cast was also good but the main two were superb in their ability to portray emotions both in their voice, facial expressions and body language all throughout the movie.
The story, a very well written story that kept me entertained from start to finish, there were never any dull or boring parts.

The Bad:
Charles the naïve fool, for someone who is supposedly a scientist he is very naïve and lacks critical thinking. But I guess a pretty lady supposedly makes even the smartest man a fool.
The ending, without spoiling the storyline I cannot go into much detail as to why I didn’t like the ending but it seemed a little bit rushed and unbelievable. Being spoilt growing up in the current era of films with modern technology made this film difficult to watch at certain times, mostly in the scenes with more rapid movement, or the zoomed-out scenes. It feels a bit harsh to bring this up but it did detract from the overall experience for myself

Final Thoughts:
A romance, come revenge story line with superb acting and an enthralling story with interesting characters, with some scenes that truly made me laugh. I was pleasantly surprised that a movie from the 40s portrayed a woman as an intelligent, interesting and lead character. If you are a fan of romance movies I highly recommend giving it a watch.

Score:
7.5 out of 10 pineapples!… Expand

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