The Awful Truth

Leo McCarey's classic comedy of marital dissolution from 1937, "The Awful Truth," remains razor-sharp, warm, and overflowing with wit - plus, it looks and sounds fantastic in this 4K restoration from The Criterion Collection.

Carey Grant and Irene Dunne star as Jerry and Lucy Warriner, a pair of aptly-named spouses carrying on with a jolly old spat while waiting out the mandatory two-month period before their divorce becomes final. His quarrel with her is that he imagines she's having an affair with her (coded as gay) voice instructor; her quarrel with him is that he is really slipping off to have extramarital holidays. In an escalating game of one-upmanship they head to divorce court, then start seeing inappropriate people, and finally resort to sabotaging each others' new romances.

What might have been merely amusing farce is elevated by McCarey's love for improvisation, as well as his appreciation for Grant's talent and experience as a highly physical performer. Dunno is dry, smart, and fearless. The stars are surrounded by wonderful supporting players, including Ralph Bellamy as the Oklahoma City millionaire, rich on oil, who romances Lucy; Esther Dale, as his skeptical mother; Alexander D'Arcy as the ever-so-Continental Armand the voice instructor; and Cecil Cunningham as Lucy's acerbically astute Aunt Patsy. The strong cast even hold they own while sharing the screen with the adorable Skippy, who plays the Warriners' dog, Mr. Smith, over whose custody the couple argue as though he were a child.

There's much richly entertaining information to be gleaned from the extras, which include a video essay by film critic David Cairns, a film clip-heavy excerpt from a 1978 interview with Dunne, and Gary Giddins' illuminating comments on McCarey. Another critic, Molly Haskell, provides a booklet essay. Learning about McCary's working methods, the fear and friction they caused on set, the critical and commercial success of the film, and the film's origins as a stage play (and two earlier movies) gives the longtime fan plenty to delight over, but the main attraction remains, as ever, the movie: Gloriously charming, endlessly fresh and vibrant, and truly an American cinema classic. There's only one complaint to be had here, and that's that it took so long for "The Awful Truth" to get a Blu-ray edition. This sparkling hi-def upgrade makes up for the wait.

Go for the gold - get yourself a copy of this Blu-ray.

"The Awful Truth"
Blu-ray
$31.96
https://www.criterion.com/films/27904-the-awful-truth