The Grass Is Greener (1961)

The Grass Is Greener is a winning, sophisticated little comedy that, while no classic, is quite easy to enjoy -- especially after one gets past the opening credits, a too-cutesy lapse of taste from director Stanley Donen that features a group of diaper-clad (and occasionally naked) babies cavorting on the green, and that makes one fear that Grass will be a cloying little domestic comedy. Fortunately, Donen sets things right immediately afterward, and delivers a stylish, elegant comedy that looks at marriage and infidelity in a manner that is both amusing and adult. Grass is serious about its characters and their predicament, but Donen expertly blends the serious and the comic to very good effect. Of course, he's helped enormously by a top-notch quartet of stars. That Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr can carry off this material with wit and charm is certainly no surprise. What's a bit surprising is how easily Robert Mitchum fits into the proceedings, and how alarmingly funny Jean Simmons is in a role that calls on her to be a bit of an exuberant minx. The Grass Is Greener goes on a tad too long, and some viewers will find a few stretches talky, but on the whole, it's a tasty little treat for adult palates. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide