Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

HotToastyRag As everyone knows, I don't like Ava Gardner, so usually if I like one of her movies, I say I like it "in spite of her." East Side, West Side is fantastic, including Ava, not in spite of her.James Mason is married to Barbara Stanwyck, and in the 1940s, it was unusual for Hollywood to cast a woman past per prime as the lead. Some would say that's still the case now, and Barbara Stawyck, in her gray-streaked splendor, does a fantastic job. As does the fantastically conflicted James Mason, who gets seduced by his old flame Ava Gardner. As if one temptation isn't complicated enough, Barbara Stanwyck gets distracted by policeman Van Heflin! It's a fantastic drama that turns into so much more as the film goes on, and I'd love to read Marcia Davenport's original novel, to see if the Ava Gardner scenes are even steamier on the page. I love the script and the characters, not to mention the compelling storyline. It's thrilling, smart, romantic, and intense. This is one classic you're not going to want to miss!

atlasmb "East Side, West Side" is a character study with the relationship complexities of a soap opera. Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason are a married couple on the mend after his apology for past indiscretions. The woman who encouraged his infidelity, Ava Gardner, returns to town, threatening to dislodge their new solidarity.The character being studied is Mason's. What is his true nature? Does he really love his wife? At the same time, Stanwyck's character is a study in forgiveness. Can anyone totally forgive the ultimate betrayal? How tolerant is too tolerant?What makes this story interesting is the introduction of Cyd Charisse as an outsider who involves herself in the drama. Then Van Heflin enters the fray, transforming the love triangle into an even more complex configuration. Needless to say, the starpower of this cast is one of the best aspects of this mildly disappointing film. The less than stellar story is partly to blame for the disappointment, though I suspect the source novel might be less melodramatic, exploring the interior musings and machinations of the two primary characters.Gardner and Charisse outshine Stanwyck despite her strong efforts. Regardless, there's a lot to see in this Mervyn LeRoy production.

vincentlynch-moonoi This is an edit of my original review, after watching the film a second time.Realism is what I see in this film. I don't necessarily mean in terms of plot. There are a few aspects of that which didn't seem logical, but no more so than most films. But the performances, in general, seemed very real.I've never been much of a fan of James Mason, and this film doesn't redeem him much in my eyes. But, funny thing is, his character in this film is just about what I have a feeling he was actually like. And that's not saying much. But, at least he has that wonderful voice.Barbara Stanwyck was excellent here, but with a problem. ON the positive side, she seems very realistic as the jilted wife who ultimately makes the best decision for her life. On the negative side, in the early part of the film she seems very wishy-washy in how she reacts to her husband's repeated infidelities, then, fairly suddenly, she becomes the tough lady we usually enjoyed Stanwyck being. I'm not sure that in real life many women (or men, for that matter) could change roles so easily.Van Heflin is not one of my favorite actors, but I would have to say this is the best role I have seen him in. He seems real in his acting, but his character seems rather contrived. Nevertheless, he shines here.This is not a role that Ava Gardner fans might appreciate...the ultimate bad girl...but she does it well. As for me, I rarely appreciated Gardner's acting.Cyd Charisse is very good as Rosa Senta, but she disappears after the first half of the film, never to be seen again. Her character seemed to be merely a contrivance for the overall plot line.Nancy Davis -- later Mrs. Ronald Reagan -- has a small role here, and she's not very believable as a concerned friend of Barbara Stanwyck.Gale Sondergaard's roles were often over the top. But here, she has a more normal role and is excellent!William Conrad is fine as a police detective, as is William Frawley as a bar tender.The worst acting in the film has to be that by Beverly Michaels. She was a B movie actress...although "B" might have been generous. Her talking here is the most unrealistic aspect of the movie.Mervyn Leroy is noted for other films far more than this one, but this is a pretty good story with some fine acting. Recommended.

moonspinner55 Extremely busy marital melodrama which (rather unsuccessfully) lapses into a homicide investigation! New York City socialite Barbara Stanwyck loves and trusts investment counselor husband James Mason--even though he has a penchant for disappearing after-hours and returning home at four in the morning. Turns out old flame Ava Gardner is back in town; she's a high-class man-chaser who won't take no for an answer. Screenwriter Isobel Lennart, working from the novel by Marcia Davenport, starts things off routinely, but keeps adding characters until the scenario is bubbling over like a stew-pot. Van Heflin does wonders with a shapeless role as a war correspondent/ex-detective who ends up in jilted Stanwyck's kitchen, flirting with her in Italian, while Gardner is offered some juicy repartee (when Mason calls her "cheap", Ava replies, "That's what you like about me."). A country square-dance is curiously transplanted to a Manhattan penthouse, and Beverly Michaels' supporting performance congeals into high camp; still, Barbara and Van have an immediate rapport--one that is not apparent in her scenes with Mason (who doesn't help his cause by portraying the cad-husband like a petulant boy). Stanwyck, outfitted and coiffed like a lady ten times her age, initially doesn't have much to do, but Lennart's script soon has her traveling all over the city--east side, west side, and beyond. It's a nervous, flighty picture, paced exhaustively by director Mervyn LeRoy, but overall quite watchable. **1/2 from ****