Wordiezett So much average

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

bkoganbing Rosalind Russell got her first trip to the Oscars via her performance as the sensible Ruth Sherwood who wants a career as a writer, but has to worry about looking after that other sibling of her's who moved with her to New York from Columbus, Ohio, My Sister Eileen.Imagine if you will a story where the heroine's wise and wisecracking best friend is the lead character and you've got My Sister Eileen. In most films Russell's character would be played by Eve Arden, but here what makes the film original is that the normal supporting role is the lead. As good a job as Russell does, I kind of wish Harry Cohn had thought of Arden for the lead.The Sherwood sisters move from Columbus to make their mark in the big city and in one respect New York hasn't changed. Housing is pretty tough to come by and the sisters have to settle for a basement apartment in Greenwich Village. The apartment is owned by George Tobias, part time artist, and full time lech. But with Janet Blair as Eileen, he's just one of many.Most of the action takes place in the Sherwood apartment where people just seem to come and go like it was Grand Central Station. Russell's wit and intelligence might scare off some people, she interests Brian Aherne however who works at a magazine she's trying to land a job with.As for Blair she wants to be an actress and her obvious charm and naive sex appeal have the men swarming around her. This part was Janet Blair's first big break on screen and made her career.Rosalind Russell in getting a nomination for Best Actress got the only Oscar recognition the film received. Roz was up against one tough field. Her's was the only comedy performance in a field that included such heavy dramas as Katharine Hepburn in Keeper Of The Flame, Bette Davis in Now Voyager, and Teresa Wright in Pride Of The Yankees. The winner due to the times as well as her acting was Greer Garson for Mrs. Miniver. Given the war, I don't think any of these other ladies had a chance.In her memoirs Rosalind Russell said that Ruth Sherwood was the first of her career woman roles, parts by the way she loved to play. I think she might have forgotten Hildy Johnson from His Girl Friday, but it's possible she thought of Hildy as an anti-career woman because what she wanted to do was leave the newspaper business and marry Ralph Bellamy. Ruth Sherwood on the other hand wants to get a career going.My Sister Eileen is a timeless classic, it could probably be remade today with few enough changes. Russell in fact did it on Broadway in the musical Wonderful Town. She may have failed an Oscar, but she got a Tony Award for the part.Can't you see Jessica Simpson as Eileen Sherwood? I wonder why no one's thought of it.

Jem Odewahn For some reason or another, I'm none too hot on Rosalind Russell films. Oh, I "get" that she's one of the greatest comedic actresses ever, and I do like her, but to be honest none of her films are really favourites of mine. This was the case with "My Sister Eileen (1942)" a comedy revolving around two sisters, one an aspiring actress (Janet Blair) and one an aspiring writer (Russell), who come to New York with big hopes and dreams. But they find themselves stuck in a noisy flat, and Janet Blair's (the "Eileen" of the title) ditsy beauty invites the attentions of a succession of crazy male characters. I couldn't stand Eileen. Blair plays her well, and I don't mind the actress, it's just that Eileen is so incessantly annoying, putting poor Ros in one bad situation after the next. Even sisterly love wouldn't prevent me bitch-slapping her. The comedy is meant to flow from the crazy situations the gals find themselves in, but it just didn't work for me. Brian Aherne plays Ros's love interest, but really, why is she interested? He's bossy, has no comedic timing and she can't even get a word in edgeways! Ros sails through her role with ease, but the film falls flat as a classic comedy.

Neil Doyle ROSALIND RUSSELL was always at her best in comedies and here she had a role that got her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 1942--and it's easy to see why. She's downright hilarious as the gal from Ohio with writing ambitions and a pretty blonde sister (JANET BLAIR) with a penchant for attracting men and trouble.All the wacky situations stem from their Greenwich Village basement apartment which seems to have more visitors than Grand Central Station. It's all exaggerated fluff, but it works, thanks to a fine cast and sterling performances.RICHARD QUINE and GORDON JONES do repeats of their Broadway roles, and DONALD MacBRIDE as a policeman who wants quiet on his route is hilarious. JUNE HAVOC makes a brief appearance as a medium who used to live in the girls' apartment. GEORGE TOBIAS, as the opportunistic landlord with the Greek accent, is at his funniest in a colorful supporting role.My favorite moment is the conga sequence with Russell and Blair trying to get rid of sailors who don't speak a word of English, creating a disturbance that lands Blair in jail. Janet Blair is pleasant as the blonde bombshell but it's Russell who milks the most out of her role and gets all the laughs. She's terrific.BRIAN AHERNE does what he can with the role of the talkative editor, but it's not much of a part. Still, he adds a certain debonair charm to the role.Summing up: Notable chiefly as a terrific vehicle for Russell's unique brand of comic talent.

edwagreen Rosalind Russell received a best actress nomination for playing Ruth Sherwood, a writer from Columbus, Ohio, who comes to the big apple with her sister Eileen.(Janet Blair). Up against the winner (Greer Garson for Mrs. Miniver) or Bette Davis (Now, Voyager),Russell had little chance in winning and she didn't.The film deals with the lunatic situations brought about when the sisters arrive here. Settling in a basement apartment which should have been condemned, the two encounter all sorts of strange people coming in and out of the apartment. We have a crazy landlord, (George Tobias) a publisher (Brian Aherne) who lacked any comic talent here, the former tenant, a seer (June Havoc) in a brief performance, neighbors who want the husband to sleep in the kitchen as her mother is coming, a suspicious policeman and Portuguese merchant marines who cause havoc as well.Luckily, the film ends when The 3 Stooges drill a hole in the floor. By that time, I had it.Rosalind Russell proved that she had excellent comic timing and Janet Blair is good as well, but the written material they were given leaves a lot to be desired.