My Favorite Wife

Released May 2, 1940

1h 28m

Comedy

List

86%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

82%

Audience Score

5,000+ Ratings

After his wife, Ellen (Irene Dunne), disappears at sea, Nick Arden (Cary Grant) waits seven long years before finally marrying the lovely Bianca (Gail Patrick). As luck would have it, Ellen suddenly reappears in Nick's life during his honeymoon with Bianca and informs him that she's been shipwrecked on a desert island. Nick is overjoyed to see her, but becomes insane with jealousy when he learns of her only island companion -- the handsome Stephen Burkett (Randolph Scott).

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TIME Magazine

Ninety minutes of delightfully irrational comedy.

Dec 8, 2008

Full Review

Derek Adams

Time Out

A relatively formulaic (though beautifully produced) bedroom comedy...

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

The direction of Garson Kanin is spotty, and there is evidence of faults in editing -- but who cares?

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

How can any movie fan not love the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s?

Rated: 4/5

Aug 17, 2022

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Garson Kanin is not Leo McCarey, who was originally assigned to direct this screwball comedy, reuniting Cary Grant and Irene Dunne (Awful Truth), but he has made a well acted, decent, and enjoyable film.

Rated: B

Jan 8, 2012

Full Review

Christopher Lloyd

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Nowadays, we would call this the purview of a low-rent TV sitcom. Watching it play out 70 years earlier with top-flight stars doesn't make it any more palatable.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 10, 2011

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Jess

One of my favorite movies of all time. Does it make a lot of sense…no. Is it realistic…absolutely not. But I could watch anything with Cary grant and Irene Dunne. Together they're perfection

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/24

Full Review

Mike F

This was a fun movie I really enjoyed the tension experienced by Cary Grant when he realized the wife he thought was gone for 7 years in fact survived and showed up at his home with his new wife.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/23

Full Review

fred j

Good premise, great cast, but after a while it goes nowhere and really starts to drag near the end.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Michael M

My Favorite Wife is a charming and inoffensive comedy with a strong cast, but it is held back by lost comedic opportunities, pacing issues, and noticeable plot holes. It definitely falls short of other Cary Grant comedies of the period (for instance, Arsenic and Old Lace), but it is a perfectly fine film to watch on a cold, rainy evening.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/22

Full Review

paul d

Garson Kanin's My Favorite Wife is a pleasant rom-com brought to life by its two leads. Irene Dunne has a sly twinkle in her eye for most of the film, and Cary Grant a beleaguered one in his. The film's charm was surely great in 1940, when its delicate and funny approach was one of the few ways to address taboo subjects such as extramarital sex and bigamy for a wide audience.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

lanfranco c

An evergreen nice to watch even after many years

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Garson Kanin

Director

Irene Dunne

Ellen

Cary Grant

Nick

Randolph Scott

Burkett

Gail Patrick

Bianca

Ann Shoemaker

Ma

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Synopsis

After his wife, Ellen (Irene Dunne), disappears at sea, Nick Arden (Cary Grant) waits seven long years before finally marrying the lovely Bianca (Gail Patrick). As luck would have it, Ellen suddenly reappears in Nick's life during his honeymoon with Bianca and informs him that she's been shipwrecked on a desert island. Nick is overjoyed to see her, but becomes insane with jealousy when he learns of her only island companion -- the handsome Stephen Burkett (Randolph Scott).

Director: Garson Kanin
Producer: Leo McCarey
Screenwriter: Bella Spewack
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: RKO Pictures
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 1940, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Runtime: 1h 28m

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