It’s not set in Paris and it’s not very outrageous. Those are only some of the letdowns here. Whatever fun there is to be had in this second-rate romantic comedy is all due to the cast. French charmer Danielle Darrieux bears a smashing set of doe eyes and a perky disposition for this brief flirtation with Hollywood stardom (she’d go back to Europe after this). Mischa Auer is reliably frazzled as a budding restaurateur. Then there’s comedy character-actress Helen Broderick who gets the script’s snappiest lines as your classic 1930s wise and feisty spinster. These three work together to get the dirt-poor Darrieux married to a rich man. She wants to live happily ever after, Broderick wants to steer her away from making the same mistakes she did at her age and Auer is an amateur businessman who INVESTS in getting Darrieux presentable and ensconced among New York City high society with the promise of a payoff once she hits the jackpot. What a hare-brained scheme! And what a lousy script! The plot is forced with a hammer and tire iron. When we find out that Darrieux finds true love, it comes out of nowhere. We can’t tell by what we see on screen. The script needs to inform us by Priority Mail, practically. The zero chemistry between Darrieux and leading man Douglas Fairbanks Jr. doesn’t help things.
The premise is funny, though. This is a good example of a movie that SHOULD be remade. It’s got many miles of room for improvement.