Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

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Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

1948

1h 34m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

86%

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21 Reviews

76%

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5,000+ Ratings

When advertising executive Jim Blandings (Cary Grant) discovers his wife's (Myrna Loy) plan to redecorate their New York apartment, he counters with a proposal that they move to Connecticut. She agrees, and the two are soon conned into buying a house that turns out to be a complete nightmare. Construction and repair bills accumulate quickly, and Jim worries that their future hangs in the balance unless he can come up with a catchy new jingle that will sell ham.

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

The Times (UK)

Old pros Cary Grant and Myrna Loy are effortlessly splendid in their third and final on-screen coupling, leaving the director HC Potter to basically twiddle his thumbs.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 21, 2023

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

This lightly sweetened tale is still remarkably meaty.

Mar 19, 2018

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James Agee

TIME Magazine

Blandings may turn out to be too citified for small-town audiences, and incomprehensible abroad; but among those millions of Americans who have tried to feather a country nest with city greenbacks, it ought to hit the jackpot.

Mar 2, 2018

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

It’s quite fortunate that Grant and Loy are such an amusing onscreen couple, and that the script is overflowing with humorous dialogue.

Rated: 7/10

Aug 29, 2022

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

A better director would certainly make Mr. Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse a stronger comedy but it's still a solid watch over 70 years later.

Oct 5, 2021

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

It's occasionally too bland for its own good, but Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House succeeds on the strength of its trio of stars and their delivery of some biting quips.

Rated: 3/4

May 23, 2021

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Joel H

My wife and I have been considering building a home, but after watching Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, I'm having second thoughts. It's stressful to watch the characters in this movie deal with the constantly rising costs of construction. Cary Grant & Myrna Loy are both so likeable that it's impossible to dislike this movie, however their characters are so willfully ignorant of how their requests are going to add up that it starts to feel unbelievable. It's a cute movie, though, and I laughed a handful of times. I probably prefer The Money Pit, but I enjoyed Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/03/24

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David F

A classic comedy about home renovation, this film illustrates all the ups and downs of buying an old, suburban place and trying to fix it up so you can move out of the city.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/24

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Alec B

Grant's hysterical facial expressions carry this movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

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Ed M

I love Cary and Myrna but not this movie. Plays like a mediocre sitcom.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/26/21

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Audience Member

Grant's hysterical facial expressions carry this movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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steve d

Next to no story in this one.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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H. C. Potter

Director

Cary Grant

Jim Blandings

Myrna Loy

Muriel Blandings

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Synopsis

When advertising executive Jim Blandings (Cary Grant) discovers his wife's (Myrna Loy) plan to redecorate their New York apartment, he counters with a proposal that they move to Connecticut. She agrees, and the two are soon conned into buying a house that turns out to be a complete nightmare. Construction and repair bills accumulate quickly, and Jim worries that their future hangs in the balance unless he can come up with a catchy new jingle that will sell ham.

Director: H. C. Potter
Producer: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
Screenwriter: Norman Panama, Melvin Frank
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 25, 1948, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 31, 2015
Runtime: 1h 34m

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