Anna Kalman (Ingrid Bergman) comes home early from vacation. She's a single London actress who can't find love. Her sister Margaret (Phyllis Calvert) and her diplomat husband Alfred Munson (Cecil Parker) is on their way to a hard currency dinner. Philip Adams (Cary Grant) comes up before going to the dinner. Anna falls immediately for Philip and he for her. At first, he tells everyone that there is no Mrs. Adams. Later he tells her that he actually has a wife in San Francisco but just no Mrs. Adams with him. She dates him anyways. He starts working out of Paris for NATO. However he is going to New York for five months. She is beside herself. Then Alfred finds out that Philip isn't actually married. He is lying only because he never wants to marry and this is the only way to ensure that the lady starts without any hope of marriage. Then Margaret lets the cat out of the bag.
It would be better if the romance is tone down at the beginning. If only Anna treats this more as a friendship. In general, she needs to show some deference to his marriage no matter what. It would help sell the comedy a lot better. Of course, that may have been too modern for the era. It's a bit early to ask whether men and women can be friends without romance. It's an odd thing to say but the chemistry doesn't work for the first half. Obviously it's not Grant or Bergman's fault. It's the story. The audience is watching a couple cheat without any resistance and little reservations. Grant is so cool in this that one can take it as being cold. It becomes a funnier joyful movie after the secret is revealed. It's like a different movie and quite a better one. Bergman finally finds her voice and the couple discovers their chemistry. Grant is also released to be the fun character that the audience expects. The first half is at most a 5 but the twist saves it a bit.
It would be better if the romance is tone down at the beginning. If only Anna treats this more as a friendship. In general, she needs to show some deference to his marriage no matter what. It would help sell the comedy a lot better. Of course, that may have been too modern for the era. It's a bit early to ask whether men and women can be friends without romance. It's an odd thing to say but the chemistry doesn't work for the first half. Obviously it's not Grant or Bergman's fault. It's the story. The audience is watching a couple cheat without any resistance and little reservations. Grant is so cool in this that one can take it as being cold. It becomes a funnier joyful movie after the secret is revealed. It's like a different movie and quite a better one. Bergman finally finds her voice and the couple discovers their chemistry. Grant is also released to be the fun character that the audience expects. The first half is at most a 5 but the twist saves it a bit.