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56 reviews in total

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28 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
Excellent light comedy for ALL ages, 25 May 2003

Author: GoldenOldie from USA

I agree with almost all of the other reviews but add that Trevor Howard is wonderful. He is completely natural and believable to the point that he almost steals the show from Cary Grant; not an easy task! Cary and Leslie Caron make their unlikely match seem quite natural. -- And the photography is just gorgeous. This was especially so when I first viewed it on a big screen back when it was released.

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27 out of 33 people found the following review useful:
Elegant Comedy-Mystery, 25 May 2003
Author: harry-76 from Cleveland, Ohio

This second to last film of Cary Grant was one he spoke highly of in interviews.

It was my decided pleasure to be in attendance at his "A Conversation With Cary Grant" at the Front Row Theater in Cleveland shortly before his death. During this unforgettable evening, Grant fielded questions from an audience of over five hundred for nearly two hours.

Grant seemed to possess a photographic memory, recalling incidents of his life and career down to the smallest detail. "Father Goose" was revealed to be one of his favorite projects.

Looking at the film today, one can see the senior star enjoying his character and well polished script. He was nicely paired with Leslie Caron, and the two struck an engaging chemistry for these capers.

Grant also had the good sense to say farewell to these leading man parts (being aware that he could never become a "character" actor) threw in the towel and moved on to better things, like Fabrege.

We're left with another delightful Grant performance in an illustrious and remarkably diversified career.

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23 out of 27 people found the following review useful:
Gallons of fun..., 28 November 2001

Author: midnightrane from Deep South

This film is lots of fun and goes down smooth. Grant is classic as the grizzled boozer who plays look-out for the Allies and a gaggle of young lassies. It is one of the more well-executed romantic comedies (that's how I would classify it, anyway) and the tension of the final scenes is excellent considering the difficulty of weaving in such weighty material to an otherwise farcical film. Nobody does those twisted-lip facial expressions of exasperation better than Grant.

I will always remember a certain Sunday in lil ole Luverne, Alabama, having a great time with my family watching trusty TBS (the way it used to be). It's not the greatest movie ever, but it is a fine choice for a lazy afternoon or light evening fun. I give it a 7/10 and it might deserve higher marks. Break out the Orville Reddenbocker, and follow with an "Operation Petticoat" chaser.

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19 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
After 30 years Grant is still the best., 20 March 2005

Author: Scaramouche2004 from Coventry, England

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I find it quite surprising seeing that Cary Grant is one of my favourite actors, that after nearly forty reviews on this site not one of them has been a Cary Grant film. How odd.

I now intend to remedy that fact by posting a few as I do believe he was one of the most versatile performers and gifted comedy actors ever to hit our screens.

My favourite Cary Grant comedy is 1937's The Awful Truth and it is an amazing tribute to his talent that in Father Goose made 27 years later, he seems to have aged very little and has not lost one iota of the spark or zest that graced his performances throughout the decades.

In his penultimate screen appearance, Grant for once plays a character far removed from his immaculately dressed man about town persona as he takes on the role of Walter Eckland a south sea drifter complete with dirty slacks, tennis shoes and beard. Life for Eckland is lived on his beloved boat, drinking scotch and sailing from island to island meeting and fraternising with as fewer people as possible.

However Eckland's idealistic lifestyle (and the hull of his boat) are severely destroyed with the arrival of Captain Trevor Howard of the Royal Navy. Bullied, brow-beaten, bribed with Scotch Whiskey and with a large gaping hole in his boat, he is forced onto a deserted pacific island to act as coast watcher for the Allies, reporting Japanese ship and aeroplane activities with the R/T codename of Mother Goose.

Eckland's immediate plans are to repair his boat and escape his captivity, and jumps at the chance to go and rescue a possible replacement from a nearby island. Using his boat's dinghy he braves rough seas and Japanese patrol vessels in order to obtain his freedom.

However, when he arrives at the island he finds the replacement dead and a prim and proper governess, played by Leslie Caron, in his stead. It is only after he agrees to take her off the island to safety that life goes from bad to worse as it appears she is not travelling alone, but with seven schoolgirls.

The interplay between Grant,Caron and the kids is hilarious, as the contrast of lifestyles between Walter and his reluctant family is immediately apparent and almost at once they become warring factions.

She wastes no time in confiscating and hiding his liquor, evicting him from his house, and commandeering his clothes, his tools, his food and just about everything else she can get her hands on.

Walter is more or less banished to his half submerged boat. A stranger in his own 'home'.

None the less after near discovery by the Japanese, Eckland acts heroically endearing him at last to the female inhabitants, until eventually the 'rude, drunken, foul mouthed, filthy beast' and 'Miss Goodie-two-shoes' actually become rather 'pally'.

The whole cast is excellent, most notably Trevor Howard, who really relishes this rare chance to take on a comedic role, but what makes this film sensational is the clever writing.

For example when the Navy is given the task of evacuating the newcomers, the answer is a parachute drop:- "A parachute drop? I want them picked up Frank, not put down". Or when Grant is teaching Caron how to fish:- "Quiet, here she comes again"..... "How do you know it is a she?" asks Caron..... "Her mouth is open, now be quiet."

Very witty examples and this film is chock-a-block full of them. Check out the snake-bite scene. It is quite amazing.

I know this film has come under some heavy criticism over the years, but I fail to see why. It is Cary Grant in one of his finest and funniest films. I suppose the bad reviews this film received was one of the reasons he retired shortly afterwards. It was classic Grant and one of his personal favourite performances, but it failed to find a large or appreciative audience, and I suppose out of all his films the failure of this one saddened him the most.

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15 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
FATHER GOOSE IS AN EXCELLENT MOVIE FOR FAMILY, 21 May 2004
Author: tkoval123 from U.S.A

I've recently learnt about Cary Grant and purchased a few of his movies. I like Father Goose the best. Cary Grant and Leslie Caron were very intelligent in this movie: the way they brought out character they played - Mr. Eckland and Madame Freneau.

I feel connected with the story. My daughter and I have watched this movie more than 100 times and we really enjoy it every time. In Father Goose, Cary Grant played a character, which was quite different from other of his movies such as Indiscreet, That Touch Of Mink, To Catch A Thief, etc.., He was unshaved, uncombed, filthy, untidy, insensitive, and care-free. But underneath of this messy image, a suave, full of fact-of-life Walter Eckland would not mind to suck out the venom in an attempt to save Ms. Freneau. I was really moved.

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16 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Vintage Cary Grant in a romantic WWII farce with Leslie Caron., 13 January 1999

Author: MikeB-9

This is vintage Cary Grant, reminiscent of his earlier romantic comedies. He plays Walter Eckland, a rough, gruff, unkempt loaner coerced into being a spotter for the Royal Navy on a remote Pacific island. He is forced to take in a teacher and her seven charges, all female, ranging in age from 5 to 14. Leslie Caron is excellent and funny as the teacher. She sets out to change Walter "for the sake of the girls" by pouring out all his whiskey. One of the best scenes in the film comes when Leslie Caron is supposedly bitten by a snake (a stick) and Walter gets her drunk to ease the pain of her dying. This is great comedy. This film is a MUST SEE for Grant fans. Rating: 9.0

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16 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Pretty good, some good laughs, 4 October 2002

Author: LebowskiT1000 from Escondido, California, USA

I wouldn't dare say this was an extremely great movie, but it was pretty good, I enjoyed it. I think this is the first Cary Grant movie I've ever seen and I thought he did a fine job with his role. Some of his reactions are just hilarious!

There are quite a few times though where you really feel for Cary Grant's character, because he gets completely over-run by the women that he is forced to provide for. In the end though, everyone seems to get along.

All I can really say about the film is that it's a pretty interesting story with some interesting turn of events and some good comedy. I wouldn't recommend the film to everyone, but if you're interested, go ahead and take a peak. I hope you enjoy the film.

-Chris

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12 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Nice Film, 4 January 2007

Author: aimless-46 from Kentucky

If you are looking for comparisons and don't mind a bit of a stretch, then you can consider "Father Goose" (1964) as another version of "Bringing Up Baby". In both Cary Grant gets to play a character experiencing a host of aggravations. Leslie Caron's Catherine Frenau is not as zany as Hepburn's Susan, but still manages to irritate Grant for most of the film until he finally realizes that he is in love with her. And instead of a leopard and a dog running amuck in rural Connecticut, "Father Goose" features seven schoolgirls of various nationalities running amuck on a Pacific island during WWII.

Everything works pretty well in this film although Grant is not quite up to an American accent so there are several awkward moments with the script. And the age difference makes the Grant-Caron romance unconvincing. Fortunately the producers skate over the romantic elements. In fact, the romance is treated so superficially that you wonder why they bothered to insert it into the story. A similar romance got much the same treatment that year in "My Fair Lady".

The film's real strength is the interaction between Grant and the seven schoolgirls as it manages a fair amount of believable characterization for each of them. The initially silent Jenny (Sharyl Locke), tomboy Harry (Jennifer Berrington), chronic complainer Anne (Pip Sparke), Elizabeth (Stephanie Berrington) and her imaginary friend Gretchen, coming of age Christine (Venina Greenlaw), and the French twins (Laurelle and Nichole Felsette). All have distinct personalities and it is obvious that Grant had a lot of fun working with each of them; so much so that he stayed in touch with them even after they grew up, married, and started their own families.

Grant's Walter Eckland is an American drifter hoping the war will just pass him by; illustrated during the opening credits by Digby Wolfe singing "Pass Me By" as Eckland (with an unwanted hitchhiking Pelican) steers his boat into the harbor. The war catches up with him there when the Harbor Master (Trevor Howard) tricks him into taking a coast-watching job until a replacement can be found.

His job is reporting by radio any movements by Japanese planes and ships near his island station. The reluctant recruit is rewarded with a bottle of whiskey (previously hidden somewhere on the island by the Royal Navy) each time one of his reports is confirmed.

Walter seems to thrive on this assignment until he has to share his island with a French teacher Catherine Frenau (Leslie Caron) and seven young charges. Miss Frenau hides the remaining whiskey bottles and the females take over Walter's hut.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

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11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Very Good Movie, 25 July 2001

Author: Harry from Tennessee

Have seen this movie many times.. Cary Grant at his best! In real life, Cary is in his 60's and Caron is in her 30's. But the age difference doesn't even come into play here. They seem to fit perfectly. See it, you won't be sorry!

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12 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Pleasant movie, superb dialogue, 15 July 2001

Author: fletch5

"Father Goose" is not my pick for the best Cary Grant flick (I think that's "Operation Petticoat", if you exclude his collaborations with Hitchcock), but it's a pleasant--if a little overlong--movie that works very well as light entertainment. The dialogue is superb, containing some really witty remarks and delightful exchanges. And it is fun to see Grant playing a sullen boozer--quite an exceptional role for him.

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