Made for Each Other (1939)

From my favorite movies..

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Boring

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

After reading IMDb about various movies for years, this is the one film that caused me to sign up as a member in order to leave a review.That should say a lot.This is a fantastic movie with great acting and it clearly prefigured "It's a Wonderful Life."It's an honest tearjerker. Those prone to cry will do so. For some I could see it producing Niagara Falls. The acting is that good. And a movie is made only once every few years that can make my eyes water.I'd advise you not to pay much attention to the negative reviews, including from those who would now find the plot to be derivative when future movies were the ones that were derived from this. Sure, it starts slow (and Jimmy Stewart was more of a novice). It's supposed to be showing the every day life of a struggling couple during hard times.That only adds to the emotional impact of the last half hour.The producer put a part of his own life story into this picture.It's really sad to know that Carole Lombard died soon after this movie was made in a plane crash over the mountains.This movie is a must-see.

I thought with Stewart and Lombard as leads, I would get a light marital comedy. What I got instead was a well made tear-jerker, with a few lighter moments but with a whole lot of heavy dramatics. A film like this, I suspect, is mainly a matter of taste. No matter how well done, the results still amount to slickly done soap opera.The two young marrieds go through a series of ups and downs much as most marriages do. Stewart's hectic as the bright young attorney, who thinks himself a failure because of money problems. Lombard plays his loyal wife who provides the strong support he and their marriage need, even though she has to put up with a disapproving mother-in-law. But it's a very glum Lombard, not the typical free spirit of her best roles. As Stewart's penny- pinching boss, Coburn manages as a likable grump, who comes through when needed.The production's wise enough to break up the prosaics with a hair-raising flight for life, as a bi-plane races across storm-tossed skies to deliver life saving serum to the couple's sick baby. It's the movie's high point and with a twist or two. I expect a lot of folks can still identify with the couple's difficulties even though the production comes from the hard- pressed Depression era. Nonetheless, I can't help thinking that the dead-serious roles do not make use of the stars' special talents. Given the movie's unexceptional storyline, I also can't help thinking any number of lesser actors could have adequately filled the two leads. And in that important casting sense, the movie remains a disappointment. In short, the cast deserves better.

Movies about marriage are a mixed bag. What works and doesn't depends on the writing. Are the characters real? Do the problems and resolutions make sense? In the case of "Made For Each Other", the answer to these questions is yes. The couple is James Stewart and Carole Lombard, and their problems are simple. Stewart's nagging mother (Lucille Watson), his irascible boss (Charles Coburn), issues meeting their budget, and dealing with the issues of a new child are among them. The situations are simple and solvable, so the film isn't really saying anything remarkable, but viewers then and now can identity with the problems, even if they do seem a bit simple in today's complex world.One amusing issue they face is keeping good help. Their first cook (Esther Dale) can't stand the interfering Watson ("I'm Only Human!", she repeats and repeats, after which she demands her salary while a dinner party is still going on), while the second makes it clear she is only the cook, and won't wash diapers. (Lombard promptly fires her.) The third is a gem, and she's a gentle black woman, played with great dignity and love by the always delightful Louise Beavers. Stewart and Lombard are a likable young couple, and while they may not seem an ideal romantic team, it works because Lombard is playing against type. Watson starts off as the passive-aggressive mother-in-law who interferes at every turn, but once you see her own loneliness, she is more understandable. She reminded me of Doris Roberts' Marie Barone on the long-running sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond". Coburn, one of the biggest scene stealers in movies, is excellent, and infuses his sometime aggravating character with many levels of humanity, especially when things get really rough for the couple when their baby gets sick. The conclusion is heart-wrenching and will have you glued to your seat.

I decided to watch this movie because I'd not seen Carol Lombard before in any movie. I'm sorry it had to be this one because, quite frankly, this is a dog – and even with Jimmy Stewart and Charles Coburn, both of whom were great actors.The problem with the film is simple: it tries to put too much, too quickly, in to a story about a young lawyer (John Manson played by Stewart) who marries Jane (played by Lombard) within an hour of meeting her. What's that cliché? Marry in haste, repent at leisure... In short, the story is a series of episodes that show the couples' worsening financial status, their troubles with John's live-in mother, their struggles to pay the bills, John's diminished status at the office, the arrival of their baby son, John Jnr (unexpected and causing additional friction at home with mother), the couples' angst about their marriage, the baby's sickness which worsens, thus necessitating an heroic flight by a lone pilot (in a fierce storm) to bring a special serum to save the child, and finally John being accepted as a junior partner at the law firm.How many more clichéd situations could the writers include? Maybe Mother dying soon after? There wasn't much comedy; the drama was lacklustre, at best; the dialog was painful to hear. Only the acting of the four main players was adequate.This was the period at the end of the Great Depression with the USA coming out of its long downturn – during which many people experienced all of the events portrayed in the movie.So, it made sense for Selznick to reaffirm good ol' home spun American values of family, relationships, heroism, perseverance, and initiative – all against the backdrop of the "average" American family. Who better to use than Jimmy Stewart and Carol Lombard? And, it should be noted that the film was released in early 1939; so, it was planned in 1938 – soon after the USA began to get production going for the coming World War II. Hence, this sort of film was a great booster for the general public, at that time, many of who would soon have to join England in war. As many here would know, Hollywood and Washington formed an uneasy alliance before, during and after the war.However, I'm glad I saw it – as a piece of disguised socio-political propaganda. But, I'll have to see other Lombard films to gain a better appreciation of her acting range.As another reviewer noted: see this one just to say that you've seen all of Stewart's movies; otherwise, don't bother.