Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Dotbankey A lot of fun.

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

marcslope I'd seen this years ago on AMC and remembered little about it, but a revisiting on TCM reveals it to be a surprisingly solid, moving, adult romance. Sure, it's soap opera, and disconcertingly close to "Back Street" (or Capra's "Back Street" ripoff, "Forbidden"), and it's not helped by unexciting cinematography or a soupy, repetitive Victor Young score, like he's trying to be Max Steiner. What lifts it well out of the ordinary are the screenplay and the leads. Ketti Frings was a frequent adapter of literary works (she did the stage drama of "Look Homeward, Angel") who could plumb expertly beneath the surface; her co-screenwriter, Hal Kanter, was more of a sitcom specialist. Together, they probe with remarkable depth this illicit affair between a married industrialist and an unmarried chanteuse. These two behave like grownups, have real conversations on a variety of topics, with a surprising amount of Civil War history, of all things, mixed in, and say unexpected, witty things to each other. Shirley, who's superb, may not be a glamour gal, but it's entirely credible that the handsome Ryan, who underplays effectively, would fall for this intelligent, generous, questioning woman. There's a second couple, Marjie Millar and a not-very-good Alex Nicol, and you may wonder why so much time is being spent on them, but their narrative does complement the first couple nicely, and the other residents of Mrs. Leslie's boarding house provide color and contrast. Soap opera, yes, but I was moved, and ready for a second viewing not long after the first. Too bad Hollywood couldn't find more for the prodigiously gifted Ms. Booth to do, but this is one of her best roles, and you'll long remember her reactions, her delivery, and the way Daniel Mann lovingly lingers on her face.

MartinHafer Shirley Booth proved what a good actress she was in this film. While she was memorable and received an Oscar for her performance in "Come Back, Little Sheba", here in "About Mrs. Leslie" she gives a more well-rounded and less pathetic performance. Here, her acting was tops, though the casting was a bit unusual--I might have expected someone like Lana Turner for such a role. That's because the rather ordinary looking Booth plays 'the other woman'--an odd role for a slightly overweight middle-aged woman. Now I am NOT against Booth getting this role and actresses like her getting more roles. Hollywood is too often filled with beautiful women--beautiful and unrealistic women. So, seeing a good actress who is more plain was nice--but in this particular case, the casting was even more unusual.This brings me to my major problem with the film. Although I marveled at the acting (as Booth managed to be even better than the wonderful Robert Ryan--and that's no small feat), I had a hard time loving this film because the film is essentially about a rather pathetic affair. You see, the single lady Booth had an odd affair that lasts six weeks every year, as she vacations with a man (Ryan) and they pretend to be husband and wife (the whole question of sex is omitted in the film). They know little about each other and she knows NOTHING about him--a sure recipe for contentment and lifelong security, huh? But, it did end well and I appreciated how her character seemed to understand this at the end.A magnificently acted film--too bad they didn't put a little more effort into the ordinary script.

canjay77 Anyone who was impressed by Jake Gyllenhaal's performance in Brokeback needs to see About Mrs. Leslie. Undoubtedly one of the best young actors alive, he deserves the highest praise possible for believably delivering lines as corny as the lyrics of bad Country & Western ballads ('Sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it…') . However, in this obscure movie with an oddly tragic-comic version of the same plot, Shirley Booth manages to meld an equally corny script with an impossible character not only believably, but irresistibly. If Jack twisted your heart, Vivian ('life') will rip it out and stomp on it. Maybe it's just me but I find that as actors only children and people with a bit of mileage on them have the depth to move me really deeply, sometimes they have a power that goes way beyond their physical selves. Just watch her: through a microscopic pout, the merest suggestion of a tilt of her head or just a hint of a downward glance Booth does what it takes Gyllenhaal and Ledger's whole body to express. I know she had a great and long career on Broadway, but it's a shame she ended up wasting many years playing a maid on a sitcom. Better than not working at all, I suppose. P. S. If anyone is inclined to read a book with a similar and equally engaging story, they should try Absent in the Spring, written by Agatha Christie under the name Mary Westmacott because it's not a murder mystery. Obviously, there was more to her as a woman than was hinted at in the biopic about her.

Ainsley_Jo_Phillips Mrs. Leslie knows both the joys and sorrows that come with loving deeply--and, to her, the joys outweigh the sorrows! She goes all out to help those rooming in her home to fulfill their dreams. Mrs. Leslie's story is moving and inspiring!