Let's Do It Again (1953)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Despite the good cast, this is not a good film. Ray Milland overacts and is unconvincing with his dubbed singing voice. He doesn't do comedy well, neither does he do Westerns well. His fake American accent is unbearable to listen to. Jane Wyman has no rhythm when she dances and looks like a flat pancake when she sings. There is a scene where she reveals her firm thighs which looks incongruous in her slight frame. Only Tom Helmore plays a believable role.The strong points in the film include the Technicolor, production and costume designs. It is beautiful to look at, but there is no story to maintain your attention. They are just pictures of people talking.

I would say that remakes are never as good as the original. In this case, however, the musical adaptation of the "Awful Truth", I have not seen the original, so I watched this movie with fresh eyes, uninfluenced by any previous first impressions. And I found it funny and entertaining. It has that "back then" feeling, a sort of old fashioned charm, like the Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedies, which, let's face it, apart from the first hit, Pillow Talk, were all repetitive.There is obviously a question of miscasting the lady lead role, here. A really sexy female star in the role of Jane Wyman, would have been much more suitable and convincing. I like Jane Wyman a lot, but she is best at dramatic roles, as in Lost Weekend or in Douglas Sirk melodramas. She is so decent looking, with that innocent and shy face that it is not easy to imagine her as a sensational Broadway star. Yet she is beautiful, dances well and wears some glorious gowns. But, she is not sexy enough for this particular role.This is a musical adaptation so we have many songs, which are good and correspond to the type of Broadway musicals of the time. However, I strongly object to the dubbing of Ray Milland's songs. I think his own voice would have been much more interesting than that of a professional singer. After all, he was the COMPOSER, not the PERFORMER of the songs, so technical perfection was not an issue here.Ray Milland was not happy about this movie, or about remakes in general. He wrote in his autobiography: " I was once inveigled into a remake of The Awful Truth, which turned out to be a fizzle of the worst kind, for which I still haven't been paid, and rightly so." But he needed not be so over-critical and austere to himself. Because the movie is funny and he is really good at his role. He has many exceptionally fine scenes, as at the beginning, playing the drums, or wearing his wife's yellow robe, or the scene with the change of hats, as well as numerous other moments where he is funny and outstanding. To be noted that he does not play his role in a "Cary Grant" way, he is totally himself, as he himself would react in similar situations, always truthful and real, never over the top. That is what makes him so delightful in every role, be it in comedy, drama, adventure or thriller.I recommend this movie for guaranteed light entertainment, and for giving us an inside look at the world of Broadway stars.

The only reason I'm giving this an 8 is or Ray Milland's fair representation of playing the drums in the opening sequence, I was impressed with that.. He *mostly* hit the skins at the same time the sound hit the speakers, and if he was actually playing the trap kit I would not be surprised.As for being a musical remake of 1937's "The Awful Truth" - Well, "In the Good Old Summertime" was not a very good re-make of "The Shop Around The Corner" either, even though it has some good Judy songs in it- Or, "High. Society" for "The Philadelphia Story"- The originals of those romantic comedies were fine just the way they were, and did not need to be remade, especially the worst one of the 50's - "Bundle of Joy" (Remake of the hilarious "Bachelor Mother").I never understood why, in the 50's, when there were so many innovations in film: Widescreen, Stereo Sound, and Comfortable Theatres... that story-wise they had to regress back to the late 30's and re-hash films that had already worked once, with performances by actors and actresses whose performances could not ever be reproduced.Even so, there are a couple of things in this that are swell, for one thing Jane looks great and is on no lost weekend with Ray. The music is also good, the songs are actually well chosen and appropriate. Finally, Aldo Ray is almost as good as "The Hick" as Ralph Bellamy was in the original.So after getting over my initial revulsion of having to sit through yet another musical remake, I'd say this film is OK, especially for Columbia, which seems to fork out a good movie once every 5 years (true for the 50's as well as the 2000's)- But that little bit with Ray Milland playing Drums just about makes up for anything bad about the film.

Milland and Wyman were great dramatic actors. Of course they don't belong in this light comedy, however Mr. Milland at least does demonstrate an ability to do comedic material. Not in a funny way, but more like a great actor acting out a comedy. In other words, his talent enables him to play down to lightweight roles, deliberately and with a lot of film acting finesse and smooth technique on his part. Everyone knows he is not in Cary Grant's or Rock Hudson's league at romantic comedy but then this is only a super-lightweight role so Milland plays it that way. Thats all he is asked to do, and he manages OK. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Ms. Wyman.Probably Ms. Wyman could somehow jerk tears and pathos out of this movie as was her specialty, but isn't asked to do that style of acting here, therefore such obvious hard-drama abilities are so misplaced they don't enhance the overall tone of the movie. Her severely bobbed hair only enhances her dramatic manner, but who needs dramatic impact here?. On the plus side, she has a natural talent for providing a classy presence and for looking good in high fashion clothes.Milland is granted the advantages of having some farce situations (the yellow bathrobe scene, the fight with another guy in Ms. Wyman's back room) and he handles these deftly enough. Unfortunately for Jane Wyman, she has little to do except model beautiful clothes and sing (or lip-sync) to some 1950's light music.This movie moves along at a good pace and appears to be well directed, considering the lackluster script. The color photography, art direction, and general overall plot/concept are good, except for some forgettable musical spots. The supporting cast is fine, including underrated Tom Helmore in one of his too-few movie appearances.As an example of second-rate 1950's romantic comedies, this is not a bad one as long as you don't expect much beyond light entertainment. Milland fans won't be disappointed in his efforts, Wyman fans will at least get to see her at the peak of her talent and looking her best, but the results here fall far short of her potential.