The 1921 romantic comedy by A.A. Milne (of "Winnie-the-Pooh" fame) starts intriguingly when Reginald Owen's car beaks down on the London to Dover road, forcing him and Diana Wynyard to take lodgings for the night in a hotel nearby. But it turns out the "hotel" is not a hotel at all, but the private residence of wealthy Clive Brook, who conspires as a hobby to detain couples to prevent their hasty marriage when they take the boat from Dover to France. They become virtual prisoners because their luggage is hidden, usually for about a week, after which they are free to go. There is another couple, Billie Burke and Alan Mowbray, about to leave after a week's stay and we learn when they meet for breakfast that Owen and Burke are man and wife. So far so good, but I expected a lot more fireworks than I got after their meeting.
My biggest problems were what did lovely and gentle Wynyard see in the pompous and ill-mannered Owen to begin with, and similarly, what did Mowbray see in the nagging and prissy Burke. It was a put-up job, for I sensed that Burke and Owen were more suited to each other. Still, there were a few more surprises and some laughs in store, so it pays to stay with the film until the end. I enjoyed all the first-rate acting.
My biggest problems were what did lovely and gentle Wynyard see in the pompous and ill-mannered Owen to begin with, and similarly, what did Mowbray see in the nagging and prissy Burke. It was a put-up job, for I sensed that Burke and Owen were more suited to each other. Still, there were a few more surprises and some laughs in store, so it pays to stay with the film until the end. I enjoyed all the first-rate acting.