Father Goose

Released Dec 10, 1964

1 hr. 55 min.

Comedy

List

80%

15 Reviews

Tomatometer

86%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

On an island in the South Seas, Walter Eckland (Cary Grant) lives a quiet life. That changes when he's persuaded to serve as a lookout for the Allies, watching for enemy ships. Eckland, whose main interest is drinking, proves bad at his job and is sent to fetch a replacement from another island. Instead he finds a stranded teacher, Catherine (Leslie Caron), and her pupils. After Eckland brings the group to his island, romantic sparks fly between the prim schoolmistress and the slovenly loner.

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RimJhim

I saw this at the Strand in 1964 and 20 x since then, it's a joy! Cary said his character in this film most resembled himself in real life. Trevor Howard is absolutely outstanding as the English admiral, commander, or whatever!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/16/23

Full Review

James H

A great film for the family or for a date night. This Romantic comedy is a fun film and even has a little action thrown into it. Carry Grant and Leslie Caron are great together. Plus, Trevor Howard does a great job playing the naval commander trying to maintain order during the chaos on the small island.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/28/23

Full Review

Sparky B

This film is an absolute delight. One of Cary Grant's later films. There's nothing complicated about this rom-com, so just sit back and enjoy.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/06/23

Full Review

s r

A silly movie that had some silly moments like Operation Petticoat, but the writing and directing just kind of fizzled. It's a shame since it had some good bits, but they were ruined by some staged gags and predictable outcomes. It was on Vudu.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a great movie. Incredibly entertaining and Carry Grant is as charming and lovable as ever, even though he is playing a cranky, reclusive, drunk. Leslie Caron shows off how funny she can be in this movie, which I didn't realize she had such a talent for. She plays opposite Cary Grant like she was born to do so. Their chemistry is off the charts and it's no wonder why she was Grants personal second choice after his first, Audrey Hepburn, couldn't take the role. There are also tense moments of danger throughout the movie that will have you holding your breath amidst the comedy. It never feels uneven or out of place, though. The girls that play the school kids are also funny and delightful. Not annoying at all like a lot of kid's characters in movies. Plus, I just love Carry Grant. I don't think that I need to explain why, he's CARRY GRANT. Lol.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"Father Goose" of my favorite movies. Cary Grant's character is a man wanting to escape everything but a whiskey bottle. He comic timing is impeccable and he plays right into Trevor Howard's handling with one exception. Leslie Caron's prim and proper Miss Freneau is capable of keeping Grant in line in spite of himself. I will always and forever remember "Goody Two-Shoes and the Filthy Beast?" A great movie for anyone looking for good, old fashioned fun, and, thanks to Miss Freneau, only one "Damn it, nail!"

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Ralph Nelson

Director

Cary Grant

Walter Christopher Eckland

Leslie Caron

Catherine Freneau

Trevor Howard

Commander Frank Houghton

Jack Goode

Lieutenant Stebbings

Nicole Felsette

Dominique

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Grant cheerfully plays against a lifetime of typecasting in this modestly entertaining romantic comedy… sparks of more than one sort fly between [Grant] and [Caron].

Rated: B

Jan 30, 2004

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Nobody's idea of a masterpiece, but it's Classic Cary.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 19, 2020

Full Review

James Plath

Family Home Theater

A fun lightweight adventure, one of the better Cary Grant films, and a darned good "starter" romantic comedy because of all the other distractions and a world that threatens to tear this couple apart before they can even come together.

Rated: A-

Apr 3, 2016

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Watching Cary Grant shuffle about like an angry, disheveled bum is funny to a degree that it wouldn't be for virtually any other actor who could have conceivably fit the role.

Rated: 7/10

Aug 2, 2014

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

One of Cary Grant's last pictures (he retired 2 years later) is one of his most commercially popular vehicles, with an Oscar-winning script by Peter Stone and Leslie Caron (who's half his age) as love interest.

Rated: B-

Aug 5, 2009

Full Review

Jake Euker

F5 (Wichita, KS)

Rated: 2/5

Feb 18, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

On an island in the South Seas, Walter Eckland (Cary Grant) lives a quiet life. That changes when he's persuaded to serve as a lookout for the Allies, watching for enemy ships. Eckland, whose main interest is drinking, proves bad at his job and is sent to fetch a replacement from another island. Instead he finds a stranded teacher, Catherine (Leslie Caron), and her pupils. After Eckland brings the group to his island, romantic sparks fly between the prim schoolmistress and the slovenly loner.

Director: Ralph Nelson
Screenwriter: Peter Stone, Frank Tarloff
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Granox Company
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 10, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 20, 2014

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