Love Crazy (1941)

Love Crazy is one of William Powell and Myrna Loy's most enjoyable films -- one that deserves to be much better known than it is. The premise is ridiculous but delicious, and the filmmakers take care to ensure that, as silly as the premise is, it is treated earnestly and believably. They also do a fine job of setting things up during the opening moments, telling little details that add to our enjoyment and understanding of the main characters. The screenwriters have also taken great care with the structure of their work, and each piece follows the preceding one logically and inevitably. And, of course, they've given Crazy the requisite snappy dialogue and reversals that are so important to a good screwball comedy. Jack Conway has directed with a light but very assured hand, keeping things moving at a peppy pace, and he gives his splendid stars plenty of room to maneuver. By this point, Powell and Loy could easily have coasted along on sheer chemistry, but they play the material for all it is worth, aided greatly by the delightfully malicious Florence Bates, a shrewdly played Gail Patrick and a Jack Carson, who for once manages to be an oaf without being annoying and obnoxious. Crazy does have a few faults: a couple places where the jokes don't quite land the way they're intended to; but overall, it's a treat. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide