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As Young as You Feel (1951)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 8/23

AsYoung
8/23: Results could've been different for As Young as You Feel if Paddy Chayefsky wrote the screenplay.

Instead, Lamar Trotti turned his short story into an unbelievably talky, boring movie that's tailor-made for a mythical TV show called Guess What Happened to Me at Work Today. If something could be said in ten words, Trotti managed to stretch it by five times as much. Ironically, Paddy Chayefsky took the story back and converted it into an episode ("The Great American Hoax") for a TV series, The 20th Century Fox Hour, being the final work of his television career.

The supporting cast is somewhat all-star as it includes Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe, and Russ Tamblyn who's terrible and in dire need of more acting lessons. As much as I want to strangle her, Thelma Ritter plays the worst character who won't shut the hell up. Only Monty Woolley steals the show as John Hodges aka Harold P. Cleveland. However, his household is too much; cutting down the number of relatives will have been a good idea.

As for Marilyn Monroe, it's interesting to see her playing a secretary. At first sight, I thought McKinley was cheating on his wife with her. Why? The simple reason is she looks stunning. Then, I must ask her: why is she there? Go be a model or an actress. Her beauty is being wasted on a crummy corporation like this. By the way, what kind of idiot reminds a co-worker not to say anything about the Cleveland hoax when it's best to mention nothing at all?

All in all, As Bored as You Feel sounds right.