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It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Blistering performances.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Rarely seen and oft-maligned, Greta Garbo's final film, "Two-Faced Woman," is an unexpected delight. Re-teamed with "Ninotchka" co-star Melvyn Douglas, Garbo plays a ski-instructor who literally overnight marries magazine publisher Douglas, only to wake up and discover some stark differences in their approach to life. Don't ask why or how, but the frothy, often quite funny, plot finds Garbo impersonating a fictitious twin sister to test Douglas's fidelity. While the role may have been better suited for Irene Dunne, Garbo nevertheless throws herself into the part and again proves her versatility. While Karin, her ski-instructor personality, has shades of Ninotchka, Katherine, the flirtatious gold digger twin, allows Garbo to shamelessly vamp, saucily dance, and bitchily spar with a hilarious Constance Bennett.Although Garbo as Katherine rivets viewers' attention, Bennett shines and more than holds her own in the few scenes they share. Douglas is excellent as always, and the Garbo-Douglas duo should have made more films. Ruth Gordon underplays a small role, but both Roland Young and Robert Sterling have fun as Katherine's admirers. George Cukor's direction is fine, and the screwball-like screenplay, based on a play by Ludwig Fulda, may not hold up under scrutiny, but has enough hilarious moments to cover any gaps in logic.The reasons behind Garbo's exit from the screen are many; but neither the quality of her final film nor her final delicious performance could be among them. Watching "Two-Faced Woman," one can only wistfully reflect on what film history lost by her departure. Garbo as Mrs. Paradine in "The Paradine Case" or as Mama in "I Remember Mama" would have been memorable, and, although Gloria Swanson was magnificent, Garbo as Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard" would have been sublime. Unfortunately, Garbo turned down all three roles. While Karin/Katherine may not rank among the screen goddess's greatest roles or the movie among her greatest films, any Garbo film is a treasure, and, despite an undeservedly poor reputation, "Two-Faced Woman" is not just for Garbo devotees. Fine direction and humorous script, excellent supporting performances, particularly from Bennett, and a flamboyant star turn by Garbo deserve a much wider audience than the film has had.

***SPOILERS*** Despite its somewhat lackluster reviews from the critics "Two Faced Woman" comes across as one of the best screwball comedies to come out of Hollywood in the 1930's and 1940's.Greta Garbo in a duel role as both Karin & Kathreen Borg is a ski instructor at the "Snow Lodge" in Idaho who meets and falls in love, after he fell and almost broke his head, with New York magazine editor of "Tides & Currents" Larry Blake, Melvyn Douglas. Larry sick and tired of the dog eat dog existence as a magazine editor back in New York whats to turn over a new leaf in not only marrying the outdoors type Karin but leave the publishing and magazine business altogether and live in the great outdoors of far away Idaho; Where the air is fresh and clean and the potatoes, when baked, tastes delicious.It's when Larry travels back to New York to clear up some very pressing business matters before he calls it quits that Karin, back in Idaho, decides to check up on her husband by secretly traveling to the "Big Apple" herself. The trip almost turns into a disaster when Karin is spotted by Larry's partner and friend in the publishing business Oscar O.O. Miller, Roland Young, but with the help of his secretary Ruth Ellis, Ruth Gordon, gets herself a complete makeover and is transformed into Kathleen Borg! Karin's partying smoking drinking and dancing, the total opposite of Karin, twin sister!Greta Garbo really lets her hair down in this movie as both Karin & Kathleen Borg driving her confused husband Larry bananas in him not quite being able to make out if Kathleen is really his wife Karin or or twin sister. It's later in the film that Larry gets the news,by phone, back in Idaho that Karin had left for New York that he manages to put two and two together and realizes that his wife is playing a dirty trick on him and decides to double-cross her in return! By having a hot and heavy affair with Karin's "twin sister" Kathleen behind her back!The film "Two Face Woman" had trouble at first being released due to pressure by the "Catholic League of Decency" in the fact that Larry while married to Karin was romantically involved with another woman Kathleen even though he didn't know that the two were one and the same person! This all was corrected by inserting into the movie a scene,the phone call to Idaho, where Larry did in fact find out about Karin's masquerade before he started to make his move, by getting her in the shack with him, on her! With WWII in full swing when the film was made Greta Garbo decided to wait until the the hostilities were over to continue her film career. As things turned out Garbo found that the peace and quite life as a private citizen, with millions in the bank, was far better then the pressures of being a top Hollywood star in Tinseltown and retired from acting for good.

TWO-FACED WOMAN is a harmless but forgettable comedy. Greta Garbo stars as a sexy ski instructor who falls for big shot magazine editor Melvyn Douglas. With the charm of their young marriage fading (along with her faith in her hubby's faithfulness), she pretends to be her own (nonexistent) twin sister to see how he will react. But hubby knows the truth and is just playing along.TWO-FACED WOMAN plays a bit like an old variety show skit that doesn't quite know when to quit. Don't get me wrong. The fairly well-scripted film does have its moments, and Garbo is as cute and charming as ever. But there really isn't enough movie here for the 90 minutes filled. Several scenes, particularly when the alleged twin sister first meets her hubby, drag on far too long. And Douglas is a poorly cast leading man, exuding arrogance in an unfunny-from-the-start role.Garbo fans are understandably intrigued by this picture because it was the starlet's final film. The fact that she retired at a relatively young age only adds to her allure. For everyone else, however, TWO-FACED WOMAN is nothing too special.

Screen icon Greta Garbo was nearing the age of 36 when she began filming "Two-Faced Woman," a comedy also starring Melvyn Douglas, Constance Bennett, Roland Young, and Ruth Gordon. The world was changing, and it was time for her to come off of her queenly throne, get out of those huge Adrian costumes, and join the land of the common people. Back in those days, when an actress hit the 30-35 range, she was considered over the hill. Crawford was shown the door by Louis B., Norma Shearer smartly retired, and Garbo's costar in this movie, Constance Bennett, at 37 was playing supporting roles after years of stardom.So in fact, Garbo's days at MGM were probably numbered as the studio sought to find her a new image. Unfortunately, her new image - in a light, fluffy comedy - coincided with the entrance of the U.S. into World War II. Everyone was too distracted to care, including Garbo, who wanted to go home to Sweden.I come at this film with a slightly different perspective, having transcribed hundreds of hours of Garbo's phone conversations with art dealer Sam Greene for the book "Garbo" by Barry Paris. Any exposure to Garbo the woman is enough to realize that she was a remarkable artist. Though a neurotic, passive, and frightened woman, her beauty and vivid imagination, born of isolation, made her a tremendous star and a great, expressive actress.In "Two-Faced Woman," Garbo plays a dual role, that of a nature-loving ski instructor, Karin, who marries a guest (Melvyn Douglas) at the lodge where she works, and the twin sister whose existence she fakes, the globe-trotting party girl Katherine. Katherine is invented when Karin comes to New York and sees her new husband with his former girlfriend (Bennett)."Two-Faced Woman" isn't a great movie - it's pleasant enough, and the cast is terrific, but it suffers from bad timing and the fact that this was such a departure for Garbo. Many people didn't feel it was a particularly successful one. She actually is quite good, particularly in the nightclub scene when she dances the chica-choca, a dance Katherine makes up when her shoe catches in the hem of her dress. In real life, whenever the dance instructor arrived at Garbo's house to give her lessons, the curtains were drawn. Knocking at the door, he would hear Garbo yell, "Go away, rumba! Go away!" Nevertheless, she acquits herself delightfully throughout the scene, culminating with the dance. The other thing that is marvelous in the film is the wild skiing scene at the end - absolutely tremendous, and I'm surprised it didn't kill the stunt double.The film was controversial because the character of Larry seduces a woman he thinks is his sister-in-law, so the script was changed to be more acceptable. A scene was inserted where Larry calls the ski lodge and learns that Karin is out of town. Realizing Katherine is Karin, he plays along, turning the tables on her. It seems like a silly change now."Two-Faced Woman" was not the flop the years have built it up to be; in fact, it made back 5 times its budget. And it's highly unlikely it ended Greta Garbo's career. Had things worked out, she would have returned to films after the war - in fact, she almost did. But when the funding for the proposed film fell through, she was embarrassed, humiliated, and being the kind of woman she was, never took a chance to be put in such a position again. Garbo was part of a world that ended when the bombs started dropping, and she didn't find her place in the one that emerged.