StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

DKosty123 This film got a lot of prime time television play. There is no wonder why. Jerry Lewis gets benefits here not just from Jill St. John and a great supporting cast, but Tashlin's special effects sequences show a lot of imagination in this film. Veteran comedy writer Harry Tugend and Tashlin combine on the script from Tugend's story.Despite all the special effects that are funny by themselves, Lewis manic comedy style is put into the script in a way that makes more sense than some of his other films. It's a match made in comedy, for sure. Ray Walston is solid from Mars supporting, and Richard Deacon from Dick Van Dyke, Abbott & Costello, and many other supporting roles is his baldy self.John McGiver, Agnes Moorehead, Nancy Kulp,and more are plenty of great support people. Kulp who was Drysdales secretary on The Beverly Hillbillies was so so good in so many supporting roles. Mooreheads Endora on Bewitched. Even Barbara Pepper, Mrs. Fred Ziffel on Green Acres gets a turn in this one. Lewis(Norman Phiffier) is a manic store clerk who gets into trouble at every job in the big department store. The imagination and physical comedy levels for Lewis are very high in this one. This is a film to enjoy everything and it was very popular when it ran on prime time TV (CBS I believe) years ago.

MartinHafer Right up front, I think it's important you know I am not particularly a fan of Jerry Lewis films. I am sure he's a wonderful human being, but I have never really understood the appeal of his comedies--particularly his solo efforts. Now that does not mean I dislike all his films ("The Delicate Delinquent" and "The Sad Sack" are very good comedies), I just don't have a burning love for his movies like some reviewers. So why am I watching many of his films recently? Well, because I want to be fair--and in recent months I have deliberately chosen some big name stars whose work I am not all that fond of in order to re-assess them--to give them a fair chance. For example, I was never a fan of Marlon Brando, so I recently saw almost all his films and have a greater appreciation for some of his movies. Now, I am working on Jerry Lewis--especially since a good friend felt I was being too hard on the man's work."Who's Minding the Store" begins with a rich lady (Agnes Moorehead) consulting with some of her help. Apparently, she's had them spy on her daughter's boyfriend (Lewis) to see what sort of guy he is. She sees him as an uncultured idiot and feels she must do something to break up the couple--she CAN'T have her daughter marrying THAT! Moorehead decides to try to break them up by proving to her daughter that he is weak and incompetent--and she plans on making his new job at the department store (one she owns) horrible--to make him quit and to humiliate him. So, she gets her manager (Ray Walston) to give him every horrible job he can think of...and the manager thinks of many! As for Lewis, he has no idea his girl (Jill St. John) is wealthy, as she lives simply and he also has no idea he's been under surveillance or that he's being set up to fail on this job.The style of this film is very episodic--and that's not a bad thing. Each time Lewis is given a new job, it's like a separate comedy bit. And, when they don't work so well, they come so often that the momentum is quite nice--and most of these situations are very enjoyable (such as the lady wrestler, his very famous invisible typewriter bit and the ladies sale). In addition, Jerry is much more likable in this one, as he does NOT mug for the camera and is pretty restrained (often a problem in some of his other films)--he's also a very a nice guy. It's also very, very nice seeing his relationship with his future father-in-law (John McGiver)--it's really sweet. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this one--it was restrained, well-acted and had some nice laughs. Even the over the top vacuum bit was worth seeing--even if this one did lack subtlety! Because I enjoyed this so much, perhaps I can look past some of Lewis' duds like "Cracking Up" (ewww....now THAT'S bad) and I look forward to the next.

Brian Washington This is one of the funniest films in the career of Jerry Lewis. This film can pretty much be seen as a series of vignettes as Norman bounces around from department to department as he tries to earn enough money to marry the woman he loves. Also, the rest of the cast give solid performances especially John McGiver, Ray Walston and Agnes Moorehead. Walston is great as the weasel of a store manager who does everything he can to break Norman. McGiver is outstanding as Mr. Tuttle who in the process of the film turns from a milquetoast to a tiger as he finally stands up to his wife, Phoebe. However, Agnes Moorehead is perfect as Phoebe Tuttle and she pretty much plays a mortal version of Endorra, the character she would play less than a year later on "Bewitched". However, the one negative criticism of the film that I have is the fact that like what a couple of other commentators said was the fact that this film is pretty much takes great joy in bashing women. Other than that this is a great film.

rcraig62 Who's Minding The Store was once a favorite movie of mine as a kid. Then I grew up and renounced Jerry and all his works. But AMC was recently running a mini-Jerry Lewis festival and this film was in it, so I couldn't resist taking a look back and I have to say this one holds up surprisingly well. Jerry plays the eternal bumbling idiot who's in love with an heiress to a department store fortune. One problem though, her mother is aware of the romance (through the use of private detectives), doesn't approve and wants to break it up any way she can. The upshot is that Jerry is given a job at the department store doing the most impossible unpleasant tasks imaginable so that he will appear a failure in front in his new fiancee. As Jerry Lewis movies go, this one is actually pretty good for a lot of reasons. It has a big-time supporting cast, for one thing, as opposed to Jerry playing six roles by himself in various modes of stupidity. The script is funny- that is, the vignettes of Jerry moving from one disaster to another in different sections of the store. And the slapstick is well-executed without being brutal or forced. Agnes Moorehead is great as the evil would-be mother-in-law, playing a slightly more cosmpolitan version of the character she played in "Bewitched". John McGiver is very good as the cuckolded husband, Jill St. John appropriately nurturing as the girlfriend, and Ray Walston, who, to me, is nothing but a show-biz benchwarmer, is a howl as the whimpering flunky store manager who's complicit in the scheme. As for the best bits, the running gag of the hapless policeman on the blunt end of Jerry's screw-ups is well done, Nancy Kulp is absolutely hilarious in a scene as a famous big-game hunter, and at the top of the pile, Jerry does his classic typewriter bit, where he mimics the movements of a typist set to music. This is a not good, but great routine, a truly inspired bit that is worthy of being described as genius.On the negative side, I couldn't help but think that the message of the film (the man is king of his castle, etc. etc.) mostly fits Jerry's worldview that women are worth little more than sex toys and kitchen utensils. This sort of thing may have been quaint in 1963, but it's downright prehistoric now. But if you can shake off the sexism, this film has a lot of good laughs. It might even be the Citizen Kane of Jerry Lewis movies. And since Agnes Moorehead was in both pictures, I may be on to something. 2 1/2 ** out of 4, but for a Lewis picture, that's a rave.