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The Lady Eve

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The Lady Eve

Released Feb 25, 1941

1h 37m

Romance

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

99%

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105 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

It's no accident when wealthy Charles (Henry Fonda) falls for Jean (Barbara Stanwyck). Jean is a con artist with her sights set on Charles' fortune. Matters complicate when Jean starts falling for her mark. When Charles suspects Jean is a gold digger, he dumps her. Jean, fixated on revenge and still pining for the millionaire, devises a plan to get back in Charles' life. With love and payback on her mind, she re-introduces herself to Charles, this time as an aristocrat named Lady Eve Sidwich.

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Critics Consensus

A career highlight for Preston Sturges, The Lady Eve benefits from Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda's sparkling chemistry -- and a script that inspired countless battle-of-the-sexes comedies.

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Otis Ferguson

The New Republic

Some of it is slapstick; a little of it is impossible the wrong way; but in general its pleasures come from the characters as found.

Dec 29, 2022

Full Review

Ida Belle Hicks

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

The Lady Eve cinches Sturges as an important personality in films... It is highly entertaining movie fare -- the kind that keeps the box offices busy.

Dec 29, 2022

Full Review

Mildred Martin

Philadelphia Inquirer

[The Lady Eve] is by all odds the best and breeziest thing at which Sturges has turned an impish hand and an equally impish pen.

Dec 29, 2022

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Rachel Wagner

Hallmarkies Podcast

A very silly comedy but a lot of fun

Apr 7, 2025

Full Review

George Orwell

Time and Tide

The dialogue is so good, the direction so light and witty and the whole atmosphere so essentially farcical that one does not bother about improbabilities.

Oct 2, 2023

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

There's no space here to extol the individual glories...

Jul 31, 2023

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Will G

A great classic film! The acting performances were nice. Henry Fonda from “12 Angry Men” we’re in it. This is a romance story about a couple who meets on a cruise. There’s also an actress from Double Indemnity.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

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Jeremy O

Barbara Stanwyck carried this movie. Highly entertaining and definitely a must-watch BW flick.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/17/24

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Isaiah Y

One of Preston Sturges best films with great performances from Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/03/24

Full Review

Kristin R

Super lame. How could a man be so stupid?

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/23/23

Full Review

Johnathon W

Classic romantic comedy thanks to some superb lead performances and fun direction from Preston Sturges. Barbara Stanwyck is brilliant in the title role, conning a befuddled Henry Fonda not once but twice, including one of the sexiest scenes ever filmed (seriously, is it any wonder Fonda falls for her?). Behind the camera, director Preston Sturges delivers a unique romantic comedy that takes some surprising turns, especially since the con gets found out pretty early, only to play into a later one. Best of all, Stanwyck's character clearly drives the story, even when she is technically doing she bad things (she is a con woman after all). All in all, a classic romantic comedy of the highest caliber.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If you enjoy Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda this movie is just ok. They have been in much better films, that much is certain. Although the Lady Eve is funny and entertaining. It also has some ridiculous moments that are quite frankly a bit overdone. I started to loose momentum with the mistaken identity Scenes and Barbara Stanwyck's awful fake English accent that just didn't seem to fit in. The romance is lighthearted enough to come back to on occasion but as I said before this is not their best performances . Id recommend Henry in "Yours Mine and ours" And Stanwyck in Double Indemnity , Remember the night,A Man of her own and her best role as Mary Carson from the Thorn Birds. Pretty much any other acting Role was much better than this particular piece. But its still a sweet romantic comedy worth the view.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

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Preston Sturges

Director

Barbara Stanwyck

Jean Harrington

Henry Fonda

Charles Pike

Charles Coburn

"Colonel" Harrington

Eugene Pallette

Horace Pike

William Demarest

Muggsy (Ambrose Murgatroyd)

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Not Over a Sofa!

1:05

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - She Knows His Type

2:17

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Father Loves to Lose

2:41

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - An Ideal Mate

2:27

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Positively the Same Dame!

2:22

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - What a Friend!

2:39

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - I Like Him, Too

2:28

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Who's Emma?

1:36

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Hello, Hopsie!

2:33

The Lady Eve: Official Clip - Charles Meets The Lady Eve

1:58

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Synopsis

It's no accident when wealthy Charles (Henry Fonda) falls for Jean (Barbara Stanwyck). Jean is a con artist with her sights set on Charles' fortune. Matters complicate when Jean starts falling for her mark. When Charles suspects Jean is a gold digger, he dumps her. Jean, fixated on revenge and still pining for the millionaire, devises a plan to get back in Charles' life. With love and payback on her mind, she re-introduces herself to Charles, this time as an aristocrat named Lady Eve Sidwich.

Director: Preston Sturges
Producer: Paul Jones
Screenwriter: Monckton Hoffe, Preston Sturges
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 25, 1941, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2014
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.37:1)

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