Old Acquaintance

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william d Above average chick flick. Miriam Hopkins overacts, Gig Young underacts, and Bette Davis is right on the money as usual. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review joe m "Old Acquaintance" is an enjoyable if overwrought pairing of Miriam Hopkins and Bette Davis as childhood friends who go on to be kind of 'frenemies' over twenty years of ups and downs. The characters they play are both successful writers, with Davis' Kit Marlowe the cerebral one and Hopkins' Millie Drake churning out pulp bestsellers. The whole plot is rather contrived and has elements of "The Old Maid" with Bette being so noble and, in this instance, Hopkins being an almost cartoonish drama queen and hysteric. Hopkins performance really is too much. All in all, still an ok film. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Scarlet O'hara took the heroine role in "Gone With the Wind." That was 1939, the heart of the Depression, when the country needed a story about holding on to your backbone - even if it meant being a bitch. In 1943's "Old Acquaintance," we get the story in reverse. Miriam Hopkins plays Millie, a cartoonish Scarlet-type bitch who trashes her friend, her husband and her own daughter. But it's Bette Davis, as Kit, Millie's friend, who comes off the heroine. Kit's in love with Millie's husband and he with her but, despite his advances, she won't even think about betraying her old acquaintance because, at its heart, this is a story about allies in the days when the Allies were all that mattered. The US was embroiled in WW II and the film's primary audience was the all-American female, sacrificing herself during war, just like Kit. Without this historical context, the movie could be seen as a strained ode to sainthood. Oh, alright. Even knowing the context, it's still strained in places. Still, the nuanced writing and Davis's restrained acting conjure up a fascinating, original character I would very much like to have known. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Tom M I can't recall a Bette Davis movie where she doesn't raise her voice or yell or go off on a delirious rant. This may be among my favorite Davis movies ('Now, Voyager' is still the best) . Her character looks after everyone, often at her own expense and her stoicism is brilliant. Hopkins is perfect as the ridiculous drama queen best friend. Interestingly, both male love interests are weak and boring. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/11/20 Full Review Audience Member Good flick with Bette at her best. The only problem is why a smart person like Kit would stay friends with an idiot like Millie. If Hopkins wasn’t so ridiculously over the top, it may have been more enduring and relatable. But as high camp Hollywood classic, its a great watch. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/26/19 Full Review ashley h Old Acquaintance is a distance. It is about old friends Kit Marlowe and Millie Drake adopt contrasting lifestyles. Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow places. Vincent Sherman did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama and romance. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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