Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hollywood's first great sequel!, August 3, 2002
"After the Thin Man" is the second of five sequels in "The Thin Man" series. It was released in 1936, two years after the original movie, and literally takes up where the first one left off - aboard the Sunset Limited headed from New York to California. Having had their Christmas holidays in New York interrupted by a murder mystery [much to Nick Charles' dismay and wife Nora's delight], the couple is looking forward to a quiet New Year's Eve at home. This is not to be. Their house, it seems, has a huge cocktail party going on in it. And - you guessed it - there's another mystery brewing. Nora's cousin's husband has gone missing, and scandal threatens her stuffy, socialite family. Nick could care less. He has no use for his holier-than-thou in-laws. Nora is concerned - and not a little thrilled at the prospect of another adventure. William Powell and Myna Loy are, as always, Nick and Nora. They are one of the great screen couples of all time. Their relationship is often hysterically funny, sometimes touching, and more than a little complicated. A very young James Stewart has a meaty supporting role. The star quality is easy to see. Selma Landis is in top form as the neurotic cousin who is under the thumb of her frightfully domineering mother. "After the Thin Man" [great sequel title!] is only slightly less entertaining than its predecessor and is certainly superior to most of the comedies of today. That superiority is due to great screen writing, true star power and a genuine zest for life that rarely is seen today - at least in the movies. By the way, there IS no thin man!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sophisticated fun with legendary couple Nick and Nora, June 18, 2003
Of the six "Thin Man", films produced by MGM my favourite by far is the second installment in the classic series "After the Thin Man". Full of fresh humour, immortal lines, hilarious prat falls and a superb supporting cast surrounding the two leads in top form it is that rare thing, a sequel just as good as the original. Movie series always tend to fizzle out in the later installments and certainly the first three "Thin Man" films are the best, however the winning combination of William Powell and Myrna Loy always shone through in whatever film they appeared in together and showed in a seemingly effortless way what screen chemistry was all about.Like all the "Thin Man", films this installment trades heavily on the elements that made the series such a legendary success. Very evident in the script of "After the Thin Man", is the wonderful verbal sparring between performers Powell and Loy, Nick Charles famous associations with every form of low life, Nick's drinking, and Nora's gutsy determination to get in on any form of action that is taking place and which is normally reserved for the "guys'. Powell and Loy created in this unforgettable series the first "modern' married couple, where both were total equals and where Nora would much rather match Nick drink for drink and go out investigating with him on a case than be your traditional housewife. Their work on screen together in "After the Thin Man", is a total delight and goes along way towards explaining why this and other films they did together remain so popular even today. "After the Thin Man", like all the other installments in the series has quite an involved plot and this one picks up the story from where the earlier first film finished off. It focuses this time on Nora's own society family in Nob Hill San Francisco where her cousin Selma (Elisa Landi) finds herself in a loveless marriage with perrenial playboy Robert Landis (Alan Marshal)who is planning to leave her. Accused of his murder just after he has walked out Selma asks the reluctant Nick to take the case in her defense.The fun really begins when Nick with Nora and the scene stealing Aster in tow get involved in the complicated case that has them uncovering two more murders along the way and has Nick being shot at and Nora being thrown into prison for being in the wrong place at the wrong time!!. The finale is vintage Thin Man stuff with Nick rounding up all the suspects in Robert's murder with the quips flying fast and furious at every turn before the surprise murderer is revealed in a rousing final confrontation. "After the Thin Man", is really less about the case at hand and more about highlighting a series of wonderful comic scenes that will have you laughing out loud. The first introduction to Nora's awfully stoggy relations at a terrible dinner part with Nick "colliding" with Nora's formidable Aunt Katherine (Jessie Ralph in probably the most hilarious performance of her career)is priceless and the following scene of Nick being stranded in the smoking room with the men none of whom are under 90 and who all fall asleep is vintage Powell and is hysterical. The film abounds with wonderful supporting performances as well from the brash night club performer Polly Byrnes (Penny Singleton) who's immortal line "Hey dont call me illiterate my parents where married right here at City Hall!" is probably the most famous bit of dialogue from the whole "Thin Man" series. A very young James Stewart shines in the non typical role of Selma's first love David Graham who in the surprise twist turns out to be not exactly what he appears to be. Good looking Alan Marshal has the small but pivotal role of Selma's husband Robert who is murdered early in the piece but he manages to create a great impression in his few scenes as the worthless scoundrel who only is after Selma's inheritance. George Zucco as Selma's doctor Dr. Adolph Kammer, and Joseph Calleia, Sam Levene and Teddy Hart all help to fill out the crazy proceedings to great effect. Unlike alot of movie series during the 1930's and 40's the "Thin Man" films were never regarded as programmers but instead as some of the top flight productions for their respective years. All of the MGM knowhow and expertise is evident in each installment and is no where more evident than in "After the Thin Man". Directed with typical speed and breeziness by veteran W.S.Van Dyke, his style suited these fast moving, rapid fire stories perfectly and he was always resonsible for extracting the best work from William Powell and Myrna Loy in their numerous projects together. Adapted for the screen by polished writers Goodrich and Hackert the dialogue is a hoot from start to finish and contained some of the most memorable Nick and Nora dialogue that went along way to endearing this wonderful couple to movie audiences such as Nick's line "Let's get something to eat. I'm thirsty", priceless stuff indeed. The magical combination of William Powell and Myrna Loy and of course Asta who became a star in his own right after this film really is what classic Hollywood is all about. Today's stars cannot come close to these type of performers who had the benefits of a top studio to groom and develop them. "After the Thin Man", is a memorable viewing experience and one of the very best in the Powell/Loy series of films together and it seems to become wittier and more funny with each viewing. I strongly recommend this film to anyone who loves witty sophisticated movies with an element of mystery thrown in for good measure. You can't help but love the latest hilarious adventures of Nick and Nora Charles in MGM's "After the Thin Man". Enjoy!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the 6 THIN MAN movies!!!, April 28, 2004
The very first THIN MAN movie was so popular due to love bickering relationship between Nick and Nora. It was no doubt a treat to see a married couple pick at each other and all the while the love they shared for each other was evident to all. The murder mystery almost takes second place to the bickering between Nick and Nora. Not so in AFTER THE THIN MAN. AFTER THE THIN MAN devotes the bulk of the story to the murder mystery. Nick, who is still supposedly retired from detective work, gets lured into another case. A relative of Nora's needs Nick to prove her innocent. The case seems iron clad and Lieutenant Abrams, portrayed by Sam Levene is sure who the killer is. Only Nick seems to be able to sift through all the circumstantial evidence and get to the real evidence. Nora dogs his every step as she attempts to convince her family Nick is a good man even if he wears a "blue" collar. James Stewart, prior to becoming famous, does well as the rejected love interest of the accused murderer. He will do anything to help her...or will he? Penny Singleton, prior to her role as Blondie Bumstead in the BLONDIE movies and her providing her voice as Jan Jetson on the JETSONS, has an interesting role as 1930's sexy street sassy blonde. As she would tell you, she's not illiterate because her parents were married at city hall. So, while the original THIN MAN was fresh and new AFTER THE THIN MAN has all the dents and dings banged out of the script. It is a much better and much more interesting film. It is my favorite of the six THIN MAN films. The DVD edition of this film is long overdue.
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