Everyone remembers Cary Grant as the suave, handsome romantic lead who starred in such great films as To Catch A Thief, An Affair To Remember and North by Northwest. But he was at his best when he was doing comedy. Grant was the master of the slow burn and the double take. His reaction shots to the shenanigans surrounding him were always priceless. He elevated movies such as Operation Petticoat, Bringing Up Baby and Arsenic and Old Lace to comic genius with his perfect timing.
Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House is one of Grant's best comedies, partly because of the superb work of his co-stars Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas and partly because the subject matter is still relevant to every home owner who ever undertook a remodeling job.
Mr. Blanding, a Madison Avenue advertising executive, is tired of living in his cramped New York City apartment. He gets the idea to by a fixer-upper in Connecticut and relocate his wife and kids there. His best friend Jim warns him about doing something like this without thinking about it first. But Mr. & Mrs. Blanding proceed with a full head of steam until, with his job and marriage in danger, Mr Blanding's dream house becomes his own personal nightmare.
In 2000 the American Film Institute ranked the film 72nd on it's list of 100 best comedies.
At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars.
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