Customer Reviews

Critic's Choice [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie is a must see for Lucy fans! If you enjoy "I Love Lucy", then you'll enjoy this movie. Lucille Ball is fantastic! I admire her very much. She is my idol. No other actress, or person for that matter, has left such a legacy. She shines in this movie. I don't care what the professionals think. If you love Lucy as much as me, then you'll love her in this movie. It reminded me in some ways of "I Love Lucy", because in this movie Parker Ballentine(Bob Hope), doesn't think that his wife, Angela(Lucille Ball)has enough talent to write a play, similar to the way that Ricky doesn't think that Lucy has the talent to be in his shows. This movie is great for all the Lucy fans!

This movie doesn't really fit in well with the other Ball-Hope movies; it's much better. There is a lack of slap-stick comedy and a presence of realism that I found refreshing. If you are looking for a typical Hope movie, try "Fancy Pants," but if you are looking for a great semi-dramatic movie, try this. Just try to remember that the characters are not Lucy Ricardo and the usual Bob Hope: they are the Ballentines. Highly Reccomended!

Bob is cast in his usual one-dimensional character as theatre critic Parker Ballantine - who must review his wife's new play!...With the comfort of booze, analysis, and the comfort of his first wife (Marilyn Maxwell), Bob labouriously decides to pen a review...Arriving drunk at the opening, and himself immediately being the center of attention, Lucy takes the expected measures, which lead to a comical - if routine - conclusion. A funny comedy which was even a more successful Broadway play. Implausible as it is, the great talents of Hope and Ball will undoubtedly please their many admirers. The costumes by Edith Head are above par and the supporting cast is excellent: Jessie Royce-Landis, Jim Backus, Lurene Tuttle, Jerome Cowan, Rip Torn, John Dehner and Richard Deacon.

This movie is great! Lucy is the world's best actress, and she shines in this funny film. Lucy and Bob make a great team. Lucy looks beautiful in this movie, as she does in everything else she's in. Lucy lovers will love this movie, and Lucy even more. Watch it!

Like Fred Astaire stopped dancing and proved to be an outstanding dramatic actor, Bob Hope stopped making comedy and became an excellent dramatic actor too. There are a few funny scenes, but Hope does not play the part of a clown in this picture. I would like to compare this film with "The Fountainhead," because the theme of integrity is the engine, which fuels both pictures. Hope's wife, Lucille Ball writes a play. Incidentally, Ball is another one, with talent outside of the realm of comedy and became a very good dramatic actress. Hope, a critic, has the duty to review Ball's play. If Hope allowed another critic to review it, then that would be an evasion of duty and responsibility to the public. If Hope made a dishonest review, because otherwise, this review would jeopardize his marriage, then he would lack integrity. Allow me say, that Ball has no talent and her play is no good. Hope will not deceive the public into spending their hard-earned money on a worthless production and gives a poor review of the play. Needless to say, Ball is furious and besides herself. This is a risk, Hope was willing to take. Like spanking a child for disobedience, Hope figures, if you are in the right, then the injured party will come around to your point of view and forgive you. Ball realizes she has no talent in writing plays, but her talent lies in being a good housewife. Ball forgivew Hope. Today, we need integrity. This picture teaches integrity. Never abandon your sense of duty and never be dishonest, just do your job and do it right. Hope risked his personal life's happiness, because he refused to deceive the public and would not allow another critic to deceive them either. I sincerely wish, that the character played by Bob Hope would be in the White House today.

I have always loved this movie, and now I can watch it anytime I choose. It's fabulously funny.

This is a great movie, if you love Lucille Ball (and Bob Hope, of course). These two iconic actors make a wonderful team on screen. Two thumbs way, way up!!!
Peace, K :)

Based on Ira Levin's hit Broadway play, CRITIC'S CHOICE (1963) marked the final screen pairing for the beloved comedy duo Bob Hope and Lucille Ball; and I think it's the perfect last fling.

Parker Ballantine (Bob Hope) is New York's most feared and revered theatre critic. One stroke of his pen can cause a show to post closing notices, and he's even been responsible for putting his actress ex-wife Ivy (Marilyn Maxwell) out of work on several occasions! When his second wife Angela (Lucille Ball) decides to write a play based on her colourful mother, Parker experiences every critic's worst nightmare: how on earth will he manage to stay neutral and honestly review the play just as he would any other? And how will Angie react if he pans the entire affair?! Angie's Broadway bow might just end in the divorce court in this snappy backstage comedy.

Rumoured to be loosely based on Walter and Jean Kerr, CRITIC'S CHOICE is filled with choice (no pun intended) comedy moments for each star to shine. Jessie Royce Landis co-stars as Ball's mother, with Rip Torn, Marie Windsor, Joan Shawlee, Jim Backus and Ricky Kelman.

The DVD includes the 1935 VitaPhone short "Calling All Tars" with Bob Hope, plus a Looney Tunes cartoon ("Now Hear This") and the trailer. Also available in the Lucille Ball Film Collection (Dance Girl Dance / The Big Street / Du Barry Was a Lady / Critic's Choice / Mame).

Critic's Choice is the fourth on-screen pairing of comedy titans Bob Hope and Lucille Ball (following Sorrowful Jones, Fancy Pants, and The Facts of Life), and I'd probably rank it as my favorite of their films together. Hope and Ball play off each other extremely well, and it's no stretch at all to imagine them as a married couple. Hope plays a high-brow New York theater critic known for how he relishes in eviscerating plays through his reviews. When his wife (Ball) takes it into her head to write a play based on her childhood, and when said play is actually finished and goes into production, the result is (mostly) comic marital discord. The feel of the movie kind of reminds me of the classic rom-coms Doris Day and Rock Hudson made together, only a shade deeper and more serious in how it deals with relationship friction between a married couple. For my money this flick is a thoroughly enjoyable way to while away a couple of hours. It's well-scripted, fast-paced, and does an excellent job of balancing humor with the more serious emotional and relationship issues Hope and Ball have to work through regarding their clashing careers, his clingy ex-wife, and her admiring director. The DVD has two extras - one, the comedy short Calling All Tars, is a lot of fun and is actually one of Bob Hope's earliest screen appearances, while the second is the so-so cartoon "Now Hear This."