Watch Sitting Pretty For Free

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Simply A Masterpiece

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I had never seen this movie before and was curious about it. What a disappointment - there is nothing to like about it - especially Clifton Webbs annoying portrayal of an arrogant know it all jerk. There is nothing funny or humorous , all it had me thinking was why he didn't get his ass kicked and thrown out. The way he treats the kids is mean and awful and the way the whole plot is written out is nothing more than showing how mean spirited and arrogant people can be in using and hurting others. From the rat faced neighbor to the snooty boss and secretaries - this movie is just plain mean and unpleasant. And then they made that awful sitcom with the equally annoying Christopher Hewett playing the 1980's version of Mr Belvedere. 1/10

For his performance in this film, Clifton Webb was nominated for an Academy Award. And, deservedly so. I found his performance to be...well...deliciously tart. In today's world his character in this film would be thought of as acting gay, and reportedly, Webb was (he never married and lived with his mother until her death at 91, resulting in Noël Coward's comment that, "It must be terrible to be orphaned at 71"). But in 1948, the kind of character Webb plays here was mostly considered eccentric. I remember seeing this film on "Saturday Night At The Movies" in the early 1960s, and it's just as hilarious today as it was back then.Robert Young and Maureen O'Hara actually get billing above Webb in this film, and Young (is particularly is good here in a role that will remind you of his "Father Knows Best" persona of a few years later). They play a young couple with 3 boys who are a handful, resulting in them being unable to keep a housekeeper or reliable babysitter. O'Hara advertises for a live-in nanny. They hire Lyn Belvedere, thinking he's a she. Despite their misgivings, they agree to give the self-proclaimed genius a chance, and he quickly wins over the children. Nosey neighbors begin to suspect hanky-panky between Belvedere and O'Hara, and the gossip flies. All the while, Belvedere is writing a tell-all book about the community! The supporting cast does nicely, though is not prominent. Richard Haydn does deserve some praise as the prim and all-too-proper neighbor that's is the root of all the gossip. Haydn often played such roles, although he had some strong roles (including a pivotal one in "The Sound Of Music".This is a gem and would go well on any film buff's DVD shelf.

As the self-proclaimed genius, Mr. Belvedere, CLIFTON WEBB delivers every line of dialog with such crisp authority that you believe he IS the eccentric character who volunteers his services as a live-in babysitter for ROBERT YOUNG and MAUREEN O'HARA and their unruly brood.Webb simply steals every scene with skillful ease, except when RICHARD HAYDN enters the film as a snobbish, adenoidal neighbor who is another kind of genius at snooping. Before you know it, Belvedere has all of these citizens under his thumb, exposing the hypocrisy of small-town gossip in his novel, much the way Grace Metalious did when she pried open the lid of PEYTON PLACE.It's all for laughs and never fails to delight. This is the film that really established Webb's long career at Fox in roles that seemed tailor-made for his kind of pompous charm.

This is one of my favourite comedies. I have seen this movie countless times and always manage to laugh myself to tears. Can you imagine meeting someone like Belvedere who seems to have done every job imaginable? I think all the cast did a wonderful job in this movie and I only wish that the movies of today were like this one. No swearing, car chases just plain old fashioned fun. I am sure that there are towns in the world that have neighbourhoods like Hummingbird Hill with nosy neighbours who watch your every move. My husband and I are also wondering when are they going to put this movie out on DVD? They seem to pass over these Classics for some reason which is such a shame.