Short-staffed comedies of manners – there are only four main characters in this one – are generally rather boring unless the writers have come up with some delightfully incongruous situations and a fair amount of witty dialogue (or sub-titles). Alas, this entry is especially slow. True, at first the situations seem promising, but not a great deal is made of them. The direction by Sidney Franklin – who is usually quite stylish – is especially bland and the acting leaves much to be desired. Ronald Colman is stiff as a board and the heroine, Constance Talmadge, is obviously under the impression that the constant poking and holding of two or three "funny" faces is all the role needs to liven it up. In this movie, she shows little charisma for a major star and relies almost entirely on close-ups in which she regales us with one of two expressions: wide-eyed or sulky. Other players are equally dull, the direction lacks pace – some shots are held far too long – and production values seem minimal. Available on a good Kino DVD.
Review of Her Night of Romance
