This is one of the most cleverly crafted comedies of all time. Much of it is subtlety, but a lot also is cultural. The writers managed to tuck even arcane bits of humor into niches here and there. Some of it would be considered corny by itself. But included in this masterfully whimsical plot it adds to the overall humor. Innuendo, clichés, stereotypes, metaphors and family lore are wrapped into this package to make a truly outstanding comedy. "How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life" takes some gentle pokes at aspects of culture and society. Morticians, lawyers, retail managers, divorcees, the men's club set, spoiled socialites and others receive barbs. But all of that is folded into a plot that is fairly simple and straightforward, except for a case of mistaken identity.
Most of the credit for this film has to go to the screenplay and the writers, Stanley Shapiro and Nate Monaster. Shapiro also produced the film. The two had worked on a couple of comedies together, and separately wrote some of the top comedy films and TV programs of the 1950s through 1970s. Shapiro won an Oscar for best screenplay in 1959, for "Pillow Talk." It was the first of three smash hits he wrote that starred Doris Day and Rock Hudson. He wrote comedy for films that starred Cary Grant, Michael Caine, Steve Martin, David Niven, Charles Boyer and Marlon Brando. He produced some of the best of the 25 films for which he wrote screenplays. He also wrote novels. His last great comedy film was "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" of 1988 – one of the funniest films of all time.
The cast for this film mostly is very good, and the kudos for the writers isn't to diminish the contributions of the cast. Other reviewers have noted that this was the type of film that might see Rock Hudson and Doris Day in the leads. Well, there you have the connection with Stanley Shapiro's writing. The very best performances in the film, clearly are those of Eli Wallach as Harry Hunter, and Anne Jackson as Muriel Laszlo. They were married in real life for 66 years at the time of his death in 2014. Other supporting cast are very good, especially Jack Albertson as Mr. Slotkin and Betty Field as Thelma. Stella Sevens is good as Carol Corman and Dean Martin is fair as David Sloane. Martin's facial expressions seem too contrived and manipulated. He was better at slapstick and one-liners. If this film were 20 years earlier, I could see Cary Grant and Irene Dunne bringing down the house in the lead roles. Or, 10 years before then, perhaps William Powell and Myrna Loy or another more ingénue type of the period.
"How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life" has a straightforward plot. A store owner has a mistress. When the wife suspects after two years she goes to their mutual friend, a bachelor who was best man at their wedding. She tells him she's going for a divorce. He says he can't believe it of his friend, and he'll check it out. When he finds out it's true, he sets out to save the marriage. But not by trying to reconcile the couple. He wants to expose the mistress whom he's sure is a gold-digger.
Several other details have a bearing on and change this from a simple to a convoluted affair. We in the audience are on to the details all along, but none of the cast are. The store owner's wife has been living the life of high society and has become a constant nag and critic of hard-working hubby. He met a woman who has had a rough life but has weathered it with an uplifting and charitable spirit. A vengeful, lusting store personnel manager starts a rumor about the boss having a mistress. The friend hears that it's known and all of them have the wrong woman. The young woman who wouldn't go out with the lecherous personnel director is the picture of purity and wholesomeness. She helps a friend by dropping off a delivery one night on her way to her French lessons. The store boss answers the door.
One of the funniest scenarios happens a couple of scenes apart. Harry Hunter (Eli Wallach) gives the background of his mistress. She's a courageous woman who came through a hard life of alcoholic father, orphanage, etc. Later, David Sloane is with Carol, whom he mistakenly thinks is the mistress, and he asks about her background. He is dumbfounded when she rattles off her wholesome, all-American heritage from pioneer stock and happy upbringing. The description of her family members will have you in stitches.
This is one funny movie with many lines of comedy. Check the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the film for more comedy. Here are some samples.
Muriel, "When he comes home at night and he's quiet and you ask him what's wrong, and he says, 'Nothing,' never say, 'What do you mean, nothing?' Because he doesn't mean nothing. It's something. If he really had nothing on his mind, he'd tell you all about it."
Harry, "How do you describe a saint?" David, "Usually, they're dead. Now a saint she ain't. So tell me a few of her mortal qualities."
Harry, pointing to a big shaggy dog in his station wagon, "Mary's mother gave that to me as a present. She trained it. She would show it photos of me and say, 'Kill! Kill!'" David, "Harry, cradle the affectionate little creature in your arms. Add a wing to your house so Mary's mother can be with you forever." Harry, "Will you roll up your sleeves so I can see the needle marks?"
Most of the credit for this film has to go to the screenplay and the writers, Stanley Shapiro and Nate Monaster. Shapiro also produced the film. The two had worked on a couple of comedies together, and separately wrote some of the top comedy films and TV programs of the 1950s through 1970s. Shapiro won an Oscar for best screenplay in 1959, for "Pillow Talk." It was the first of three smash hits he wrote that starred Doris Day and Rock Hudson. He wrote comedy for films that starred Cary Grant, Michael Caine, Steve Martin, David Niven, Charles Boyer and Marlon Brando. He produced some of the best of the 25 films for which he wrote screenplays. He also wrote novels. His last great comedy film was "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" of 1988 – one of the funniest films of all time.
The cast for this film mostly is very good, and the kudos for the writers isn't to diminish the contributions of the cast. Other reviewers have noted that this was the type of film that might see Rock Hudson and Doris Day in the leads. Well, there you have the connection with Stanley Shapiro's writing. The very best performances in the film, clearly are those of Eli Wallach as Harry Hunter, and Anne Jackson as Muriel Laszlo. They were married in real life for 66 years at the time of his death in 2014. Other supporting cast are very good, especially Jack Albertson as Mr. Slotkin and Betty Field as Thelma. Stella Sevens is good as Carol Corman and Dean Martin is fair as David Sloane. Martin's facial expressions seem too contrived and manipulated. He was better at slapstick and one-liners. If this film were 20 years earlier, I could see Cary Grant and Irene Dunne bringing down the house in the lead roles. Or, 10 years before then, perhaps William Powell and Myrna Loy or another more ingénue type of the period.
"How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life" has a straightforward plot. A store owner has a mistress. When the wife suspects after two years she goes to their mutual friend, a bachelor who was best man at their wedding. She tells him she's going for a divorce. He says he can't believe it of his friend, and he'll check it out. When he finds out it's true, he sets out to save the marriage. But not by trying to reconcile the couple. He wants to expose the mistress whom he's sure is a gold-digger.
Several other details have a bearing on and change this from a simple to a convoluted affair. We in the audience are on to the details all along, but none of the cast are. The store owner's wife has been living the life of high society and has become a constant nag and critic of hard-working hubby. He met a woman who has had a rough life but has weathered it with an uplifting and charitable spirit. A vengeful, lusting store personnel manager starts a rumor about the boss having a mistress. The friend hears that it's known and all of them have the wrong woman. The young woman who wouldn't go out with the lecherous personnel director is the picture of purity and wholesomeness. She helps a friend by dropping off a delivery one night on her way to her French lessons. The store boss answers the door.
One of the funniest scenarios happens a couple of scenes apart. Harry Hunter (Eli Wallach) gives the background of his mistress. She's a courageous woman who came through a hard life of alcoholic father, orphanage, etc. Later, David Sloane is with Carol, whom he mistakenly thinks is the mistress, and he asks about her background. He is dumbfounded when she rattles off her wholesome, all-American heritage from pioneer stock and happy upbringing. The description of her family members will have you in stitches.
This is one funny movie with many lines of comedy. Check the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the film for more comedy. Here are some samples.
Muriel, "When he comes home at night and he's quiet and you ask him what's wrong, and he says, 'Nothing,' never say, 'What do you mean, nothing?' Because he doesn't mean nothing. It's something. If he really had nothing on his mind, he'd tell you all about it."
Harry, "How do you describe a saint?" David, "Usually, they're dead. Now a saint she ain't. So tell me a few of her mortal qualities."
Harry, pointing to a big shaggy dog in his station wagon, "Mary's mother gave that to me as a present. She trained it. She would show it photos of me and say, 'Kill! Kill!'" David, "Harry, cradle the affectionate little creature in your arms. Add a wing to your house so Mary's mother can be with you forever." Harry, "Will you roll up your sleeves so I can see the needle marks?"