Movie · 1937 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 31m · NR · English
Curator score: 9.3/10 (23.4K ratings)
Danger! Wild woman on the loose!
Overview
Unfounded suspicions lead a married couple to begin divorce proceedings, whereupon they start undermining each other's attempts to find new romance.
Ratings
Curator score: 9.3/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 87
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Leo McCarey
Production
Columbia Pictures
Cast
Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy, Alexander D'Arcy, Cecil Cunningham, Molly Lamont, Esther Dale, Joyce Compton, Robert Allen, Robert Warwick, Mary Forbes, Claud Allister, Al Bridge, Edgar Dearing, Wyn Cahoon, Sarah Edwards, Bess Flowers, Mitchell Harris, Dell Henderson, Scott Kolk
Curator Review
Verdict
A sparkling screwball classic that turns divorce into a battlefield of wit, timing, and romantic sabotage. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are in peak form, with physical comedy and emotional chemistry that still feel fresh.
Best for
fans of classic screwball comedy
viewers who like battle-of-the-sexes romances
people who enjoy elegant physical comedy
audiences interested in pre-Code/Golden Age Hollywood style
Skip if
you want modern pacing or contemporary humor
you dislike old-fashioned gender dynamics
you prefer romance without deception or remarriage complications
you’re not in the mood for brisk, dialogue-driven comedy
Overview
The Awful Truth is one of the great screwball comedies, built on the deliciously petty idea that a divorcing couple is still too in love to let the other one move on. Leo McCarey keeps the tone nimble and playful, letting the film pivot between verbal sparring, social embarrassment, and outright physical chaos without losing its romantic center.
Worth noting
Cary Grant is all impossible elegance and comic collapse, while Irene Dunne matches him with sharp timing and a wonderfully unflustered presence. Their chemistry is the engine of the movie, and the film understands that the fun is not whether they’ll reunite, but how many elaborate detours it takes to get there.
Bottom line
What gives the film lasting charm is its precision: the gags land, the supporting players are perfectly used, and even the animal business feels like part of the emotional architecture. It’s a brisk, sophisticated comedy that helped define the remarriage rom-com template and still plays like a master class in timing.
Leo McCarey: Master of hat comedy.
Cary Grant: Master of full body comedy.
Irene Dunne: Master.
eely (3.5★) · 581 likes
the moral of the story is if you’re dumb enough to divorce cary grant your dog will betray you and you will be stuck with a boring oklahoman man who lives with his mother.
1936 · Comedy · 1h 35m · NR · Curator 9.2/10 (28.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Pure Flix, FlixFling, IndieFlix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Shares the era’s manic sophistication, class satire, and romantic screwball energy.