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Good start, but then it gets ruined

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Sixth and final film with Montgomery and Russell. Kind of a Thin Man knockoff, but both were from MGM, so no-one's going to complain. Robert Montgomery is Joel, married to Garda (Rosalind Russell). Joel is hired on to figure out why books from a rich guy's collection are mysteriously appearing on the street, and no-one is reporting them missing. Keep an eye out for Ralph Morgan, as Nick Torrent, owner of the collection. You probably know Morgan's BROTHER, Frank, who was busy making Wizard of Oz, around the same time! Sound and picture are pretty good...looks like it has already been restored. You'll see the same recipe they used in Thin Man... clever but antagonistic banter between hubby and his feisty wife, and they slowly but steadily try to solve the mystery at hand. Reginald Owen is "Charlton", probably best known as the cult leader in Rosemary's Baby. Étienne Girardot is the nervous, little twitchy guy, "Oates", who seems to be mixed up in here, somehow. Girardot was already 82, and he died soon after this came out. some good chemistry between Monty and Russell, who had already worked together so many times. It's fun. shows on Turner Classics here and there.

Here's the story of the entertainment industry; if something works then copy it. What was working back in the 30's was The Thin Man, the very popular series with William Powell and Myrna Loy. So, every other studio including the poverty row ones cranked out clones featuring husband and wife teams solving mysteries. The best of these, in my opinion were the three films featuring book seller and part-time detective Joel Sloane and his wife Garda. Each of the three films featured a different set of actors playing the Sloanes. The first film, "Fast Company" starred Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice followed by this film with Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. The last of the films, "Fast and Furious" had Franchot Tone and Ann Sothern. I like all three films, but this one is my favorite probably because I really like Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell, but also because the supporting cast was also good displaying the talents of Reginald Owen and Sidney Blackmer. It's also a good story and nice mystery with some great comic relief. The chemistry between Montgomery and Russell seemed genuine to me and unlike one other reviewer I thought Mongomery transitioned well between the comedy and action elements of the story. Any comparison between this film and the disappointing Lord Peter Wimsey story "Haunted Honeymoon" is way off base. Again, I like all three of the films and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys the mystery films from this era. I've watched this one many times and continue to find it funny and entertaining with each viewing. This may not match the best of the Thin Man movies, but it's far better than a couple of the weaker entries.

During the 1930s and 40s, MGM produced many successful "Thin Man" movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. They were wonderful little mystery films with a very strong emphasis on humor and the banter between the two leads. Here, MGM tries to make the formula pay off again, but this time with Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell in the leads. In so many ways the film was this old formula all over again, but somehow despite their best efforts the two leads just don't make it work as well as Powell and Loy--partly because the Thin Man films are so good it's hard to match them and partly because the script just isn't as good as the Thin Man scripts--it's just too complex and not all that interesting. Still, considering the Russell and Montgomery still are wonderful actors, the film pays off well enough to recommend it. I especially liked Montgomery's easy-going manner, though unfortunately the usually strong characters Russell plays aren't as evident here and she's rather over-shadowed by Montgomery.So overall, it's not a bad little film--just don't expect the magic of Nick and Nora Charles.

It's a good thing Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell were the stars of "Fast and Loose," otherwise, there would be nothing to recommend it. They are wonderful as a sort of penniless Nick and Nora hot on the trail of a stolen Shakespearian manuscript. I found it a little hard to follow as far as who killed whom and why.Both actors were excellent at both comedy and drama, and in fact, right before seeing this, I saw them in "Night Must Fall." What a difference! And really, it is a tribute to the talent of both that they could do such different types of films so easily.I wish they'd had a better script to work with. This film is too long and too confusing. But if you want to see two masters at work, by all means, check it out.