Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

My Favorite Wife

Play trailer Poster for My Favorite Wife 1940 1h 28m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 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).
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

My Favorite Wife

Critics Reviews

View More
TIME Magazine 12/08/2008
Ninety minutes of delightfully irrational comedy. Go to Full Review Derek Adams Time Out 06/24/2006
A relatively formulaic (though beautifully produced) bedroom comedy... Go to Full Review Bosley Crowther New York Times 03/25/2006
The direction of Garson Kanin is spotty, and there is evidence of faults in editing -- but who cares? Go to Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies 08/17/2022
4/5
How can any movie fan not love the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s? Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 01/08/2012
B
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. Go to Full Review Christopher Lloyd Sarasota Herald-Tribune 01/10/2011
2/5
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
CodyZamboni Z Jul 14 Marital wacky hijinks ensue as Cary Grant gets married the day his pronounced dead wife shows up very much alive, after being stranded on desert island for 7 years, Movie starts off amusing but highly unbelievable, as Grant wont tell his new wife the truth, I really felt bad for his new wife, She wasn't mean or nasty, I liked her, and she was really treated badly by him. Movie's comic meter picks up when Randolf Scott shows up as Irene Dunne's fellow desert island castaway, This sends Grant into fits of jealousy, and more lies pile up. Movie is entertaining due to its' charismatic stars, and a strong 2nd half, Although the film's resolution is a little too easy. See more ed m 12/04/2024 Cary Grant is awesome, but this movie is weak. See more Sarah D 10/27/2024 Fantastic comedy! I watch it a couple times a year. Screwball comedy. Akin to Bringing Up Baby and The Awful Truth. You can’t miss with a Grant/Dunne movie. See more Jess 02/16/2024 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 See more Mike F 10/31/2023 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. See more fred j 11/07/2022 Good premise, great cast, but after a while it goes nowhere and really starts to drag near the end. See more Read all reviews
My Favorite Wife

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Garson Kanin

Director

Irene Dunne

Ellen

Cary Grant

Nick

Randolph Scott

Burkett

Gail Patrick

Bianca

Ann Shoemaker

Ma

More Like This

View All
Vivacious Lady 100% 81% Vivacious Lady Watchlist The Flying Deuces 83% 63% The Flying Deuces Watchlist The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer 78% 77% The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer Watchlist Room Service 64% 55% Room Service Watchlist The Farmer's Daughter 100% 78% The Farmer's Daughter Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

My Favorite Wife

My Favorite Wife (1940) My Favorite Wife (1940) My Favorite Wife (1940) My Favorite Wife (1940) View more photos

Movie Info

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
Most Popular at Home Now