Catangro
After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Juana
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Geraldine
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
HotToastyRag
While Designing Woman isn't as famous as other romantic classics, like Pillow Talk or Woman of the Year, there's a lot to love about this hidden gem from 1957. On a sad note, Humphrey Bogart was dying during the filming of this movie. Lauren Bacall said in her autobiography that Gregory Peck was a wonderful friend to them, and that his kindness and strength helped her survive the terrible tragedy. So, in case you sense any sort of tension in Lauren's performance, I hope you'll cut her some slack.Lauren plays a fashion designer, and Greg plays a sports writer. They fall in love and get married, but after their impulsive decision, they soon find they have very little in common. My favorite scene is when they are ordering at a restaurant. Lauren has previously revealed that she eats a lot when she's happy and in love, so when she orders a humungous meal, she looks at him sheepishly as they both realize she's fallen in love with him. It reminds me of the fantastic line from Sex, Lies and Videotape that Andie MacDowell says: "The last time I was happy, I got so fat!" All in all, it's pretty funny, with jokes about hangovers, sex, and infidelity that snuck past the strict Hollywood censors. If you like either of the leads, or if you like cute, smart flicks from the 1950s, give this one a try. It's as if Lauren's character from How to Marry a Millionaire met Greg's character from Roman Holiday and fell in love!
bobbysoxer97
If you're in the mood for a lighthearted movie, I definitely recommend! Peck is extremely delightful in his role as the passionate sportswriter. Bacall, as always, is perfectly marvelous and shows a real flair for comedy. However, as much as I adore these two, it didn't feel like there was too much chemistry between them. But, this is probably due to the fact that I'm used to seeing Bacall teamed with her beloved husband; and they DRIPPED with chemistry. The banter and physical comedy was quite hilarious; the look on Peck's face when the ravioli "slips" off the table? Priceless! All in all, a worthwhile film.
maryszd
I have seen this beautifully made film many, many times and never get tired of it. I hope eventually all of Vincente Minelli's films come out on Blu-ray. They deserve to be seen in every bit of their gorgeous detail. Even this film's flaws make it richer. Gregory Peck's acting as sportswriter Mike Hagen is stiff and lackadaisical and Lauren Bacall also seems somehow preoccupied (possibly with her husband Humphrey Bogart's poor health). But their personal malaise as actors reinforces one of the central themes of the film, that is, the near impossibility of creating a truly compatible marriage. The sexually ambiguous character of Randy Owens (Jack Cole) also undermines (in a good way) the gender stereotyping that Mike Hagen and his buddies desperately cling to. Dancer Lori Shannon and producer Zachary Wilder are the only true adults in the film; it's their eventual pairing at the end of the film that gives it a sense of emotional completion.Designing Woman also presents a wonderful cinematic vision of New York; it evokes a time when the world of musical theater and Broadway played a central role in American popular culture.
cellmaker
I've seen at least parts of this before, but I sat through it today and couldn't stop shaking my head. Stagey, stilted, and wooden. Only a few minor actors (viz Jesse White as Charlie Arneg) seem to be at ease and make their dialogue natural. Bacall and Peck barely utter a believable syllable throughout the entire production, so you could really care less if they live happily ever after or get hit by a bus. (Dolores Gray is actually the much more sympathetic character.)The direction often seems more like choreography, with Bacall or her friends moving about the set in exaggerated or bizarre fashion. Scenes meant to be charmingly madcap (the party at the newspaper; the party at her apartment; the poker game cum theater get-together) are simply manic without being funny.Maybe Doris Day and James Garner could have breathed life into this film.
