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Such a frustrating disappointment

Good movie but grossly overrated

As Good As It Gets

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It's always fraught with danger when you re make something that's considered a classic, and this one is no exception, but I suppose with colour becoming the norm by the 1950's, as now, they tried a re make for newer generations. Don't think Ray Milland wanted to do it, but he was contracted to the studio. I certainly don't agree with the reviewer who said he was no good at comedy, that was his main stock in trade, and his breezy, suave comedy style brightened many a film over the years, wish there was someone half as good today. Jane Wyman could hold her own in a musical, she'd just made a couple of films with Bing, if you don't step up to the plate with Der Bingle, you look pretty shabby. The trouble wasn't with the players, it was the fact that the script wasn't as good as the original, and it doesn't pay to compare anyway, it's pleasant enough on it's own merits, no classic, but an enjoyable enough bit of fluff, carried by two veteran stars!

It's always a bad sign when you think about starting your review by saying, "This film has its moments", because that really means very few moments.What's good about this film? Not much. It does showcase the versatility of Jane Wyman, although I don't think she did her own singing here (perhaps I'm wrong). And, that's about it.What bad about this film? First of all it's a silly premise that can be done well...but usually isn't...and isn't here. What is the silly premise? That a feuding couple each tries every trick in the book to win the other back, and every time one realizes they really love the other one, then the other one doesn't. Although we know what the ending will be. And thank god the ending finally came. It isn't that the songs here are necessarily bad, they're just very forgettable.Addendum: Today, one day later, I watched "The Awful Truth" -- the original of this story starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. "The Awful Truth" is so superior to "Let's Do It Again" that there's just no competition. Take my advice, skip this film and go straight to the original. It may be grainy in appearance, but it's a far more enjoyable film.Further, at least in the first half of the film (when it's more a musical than a comedy), Ray Milland seems out of place. As the movie progresses it's a better fit for him because the musical aspect is de-emphasized.I have never understood what anyone say in Aldo Rey. Honestly, the man didn't belong on the big screen (or for that matter, the little screen). The supporting actors here have little of importance to do, other than moving the story line forward.So now that I have panned this film (and believe me, it deserves to be panned), I'm going to sit down and watch the original -- "The Awful Truth" starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. That's my suggestion to you, too.

In 1937, director directed a clever romantic-comedy, "The Awful Truth". It starred Cary Grand and Irene Dunne and the film was often wonderful--one of the better films of its type in the 1930s. Now, in 1953, the much less famous director Alexander Hall is given the unenviable task of doing the remake--with lesser actors in the leads and a lot of unnecessary singing and dancing tossed into the mix. Is there any possible way he could even come close to the original in quality or laughs? Well, the answer is an obvious NO--and I pretty much figured this out before the movie began. After all, the only reason to remake a movie is if the original was somehow seriously flawed and the remake corrected this. But the original was awfully good, so polished and featured amazing actors at their best--so how could Ray Milland and Jane Wyman hope to recapture the magic. Plus, the new script certainly isn't any better-in fact it's much worse (the film just didn't know when to end--and the final song by Wyman was god-awful). It seems that the one relatively minor flaw I saw in the original was still in this one...that the wife really did have reason to divorce because it's implied that the husband really WAS cheating on her. And, cheating is certainly NOT a subject that makes a film romantic. Now a misunderstanding causing the divorce, that probably would have worked better.The bottom line is see the original and only see this remake if you are bored and there's nothing better on the television. Not a bad film--just an unnecessary one.

Not an epic scale musical like The Wizard of Oz, but still a fun romp.I never knew that Ray Milland has a rich, buttery voice and carries a tune like a pro. Or that Jane Wyman was a hottie. The dresses she wears, va-va-VOOM! That pink number she sings at the fundraiser in, with the matching pink fur and gloves, so old-school Hollywood, just lovely! And there's a sumptuous gold dress on another lady at the restaurant. Back when when women dressed like Mackie dresses Barbie. Aldo Ray is very easy on the eyes, and a fair dancer too. There's also a lot of nice decor & furniture. And the music is actually closer to an epic scale than the story or setting.Right away I noticed someone from another bit of entertainment from my youth, Mister Ed. Leon Ames, who plays the Colonel, Wilbur's old commander in the Air Force who moves in next door, plays Chet, a friend of Ray Milland's character Gary. Lots of subtle performance-based humor too. If you're like me and you've seen most of the musicals ever made this can be a nice surprise for some fresh enjoyment of the genre and the era.