The Tender Trap

Released Nov 4, 1955

1h 51m

Comedy

List

67%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

56%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

Successful theater agent Charlie Reader (Frank Sinatra) lives a playboy's life in New York City. When his childhood friend, Joe McCall (David Wayne), shows up with a desire to leave his wife, the two are awestruck by each other's lifestyle. While Charlie is busy with his newest girlfriend, marriage-obsessed actress Julie Gillis (Debbie Reynolds), Joe falls in with Sylvia (Celeste Holm), a rebuffed former flame of Charlie's, and the two friends must make different but equally important decisions.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A disappointing dated and flat romantic comedy from the 1950s.

Rated: C

May 15, 2008

Full Review

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

...makes a convenient time capsule for the fifties, and at its best it's an amusing romp.

Rated: 6/10

May 13, 2008

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 1, 2005

Full Review

Daniel Eagan

Film Journal International

Would-be-hip look at a swinging single in NYC

Rated: 2/5

Feb 11, 2005

Full Review

Randy Shulman

Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)

Rated: 3/5

Mar 19, 2004

Full Review

Carol Cling

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Rated: 3/5

Aug 22, 2003

Full Review

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Joyce L P

Classic Frank Sinatra, classic Debbie Reynolds. Strong cast ensemble. Girls, girls, girls for Frank. Great movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best comedy romance movie ever made! With the best movie song ever sung: the title song!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I love Debbie Reynolds and Frank Sinatra, but the story of a womanizer and a "silly" woman who's only objective in life is to get married, is a frustrating watch by today's more liberal standards.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What a strange movie. Always love Frank even though he played a man-whore!

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great song, morally bankrupt characters. David Wayne's character was fine until the end when he made a pass at Celeste Holm to leave his wife after chastising Frank the whole film. Weird story.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

So incredibly terrible, and Debbie Reynolds knew it. Julie, her naïve husband-chaser of a character, was and perhaps is a reality and a trope, but does she have to be so devoid of personality otherwise? What is love, and why does Charlie even fall in love with her? There's no charm to their dated courtship at all, and it's a waste of Debbie's singing and dancing talents. The bouquet passing bit at the end is cute, and the movie makes interesting enough insights into Martian and Venusian conflicts with Charlie's reforming rover, Joe's disillusioned family man, and Sylvia's career dame with a ticking marriage clock (played by the serene Celeste Holm), but the injection of a petty, needy, indecisive stereotype just sets gender politics back fifty years...not to mention screenwriting.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

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Charles Walters

Director

Debbie Reynolds

Julie Gillis

Frank Sinatra

Charlie Y. Reader

David Wayne

Joe McCall

Celeste Holm

Sylvia Crewes

Jarma Lewis

Jessica Collins

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Synopsis

Successful theater agent Charlie Reader (Frank Sinatra) lives a playboy's life in New York City. When his childhood friend, Joe McCall (David Wayne), shows up with a desire to leave his wife, the two are awestruck by each other's lifestyle. While Charlie is busy with his newest girlfriend, marriage-obsessed actress Julie Gillis (Debbie Reynolds), Joe falls in with Sylvia (Celeste Holm), a rebuffed former flame of Charlie's, and the two friends must make different but equally important decisions.

Director: Charles Walters
Screenwriter: Julius J. Epstein
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 4, 1955, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 19, 2015
Runtime: 1h 51m

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