The Thin Man Goes Home

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Joel H The Thin Man Goes Home is another delightful installment in the Thin Man film series. While, at first, I was trying to figure out what happened to Nicky Jr., I soon just accepted he was elsewhere and went along with the story as it unfolded. It was fun to learn Nick’s relationship with his parents. Also, this film was surprisingly dry. Not dry in humor, but in the fact that the filmmakers had the main characters drink cider, as this film was made during wartime liquor rationing. While I still don’t think this film meets the cleverness of the original, The Thin Man Goes Home is worth a viewing visit. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/25 Full Review alan g Best of the Thin Man movies. Still fresh and watchable even after almost one years. Great acting. Cute dog. Plot twists galore. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/26/24 Full Review Brian G Raymond Chandler type who-done-it. The Thin Man movies never fail to entertain! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/06/23 Full Review matthew d A neat departure from the high crimes of the big city. Director Richard Thorpe's romantic-comedy mystery The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) is quite fun as Thorpe emulates the fast pace and whimsical humor of The Thin Man's director W.S. Van Dyke's style from the first four Thin Man movies. It's a shame Van Dyke commited suicide before finishing his series, but Thorpe takes on the challenge with a neat small town whodunit. I liked how writers Harry Kurnitz, Robert Riskin, and Dwight Taylor create a serious story about hidden clues in plain sight. I really enjoyed the painting bit and how it's all about Nick getting acceptance from his father over his career path as a detective instead of a doctor. William Powell is as funny as ever as detective Nick Charles. He gets a neat hesitancy around his tough father, played by the stern Harry Davenport. Myrna Loy is lovable as the curious, eager, and adventurous sleuth Nora Charles. She's simply divine and hilarious. Nora is a wonderful heroine and lovable wife figure for Nick, while being her own unique character trying to defend Nick to his father. Lucile Watson is fun as Nick's enthusiastic mother. Gloria DeHaven gives an entertainingly over the top performance as Laurabelle Ronson. Anne Revere is touching as the mentally touched Crazy Mary. Helen Vinson is fun as the shady Helena Draque. Leon Ames is excellent as Edgar Draque, desperate to recover a painting. Donald Meek has a hysterical role as the painting salesman. Asta Jr. is wondrous as the wonder dog Asta with all his tricks and excitement. Editor Ralph E. Winters cuts The Thin Man Goes Home like dark film noir. Karl Freund's cinematography makes this small town look like a dangerous place full of shadows. Art direction from Cedric Gibbons and Edward C. Carfagno uses brightly lit town views to juxtapose the dark and moody nights full of creepy shacks and shadows scattered all over. Edwin B. Willis' set decoration creates a charming home for Nick's parents and a lavish estate full of ornate furnishings for the Ronsons. Composer David Snell's music is very playful and captures that whimsical comedy tone with the tense melodies for the darker mystery atmosphere. I loved Irene's costumes for Myrna Loy with exquisite dresses and creative patterns. Her style is very different from the other Thin Man movies. In short, The Thin Man Goes Home provides 101 minutes of pleasant comedy and intriguing mystery that keeps you on your toes. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I liked the first two, the third not so much. This one, however, worked out fine, even if Nick drank nothing stronger than cider. (Though apple cider comes in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic versions.) Nick brings Nora to Sycamore Springs, the rural town he grew up in, and visits his elderly father and mother. The father is a prominent local doctor who was disappointed that his son chose to become a policeman instead, though Nora responds by telling them what a wonderful detective Nick is-to Nick's embarrassment. Word spreads through town of Nick and Nora'a arrival, and the locals assume they are here to work on a criminal case. Of course, Nick and Nora only came for social reasons-until a man visits the father's house and is shot to death when the front door is answered. Now the pair have a crime to solve. Unlike the previous installments, Asta is helpful this time, and Nick sticks to cider and no longer smokes. The movie was made at the tail end of World War Two, and of course the war effort is a large part of the mystery. And the suspects are more obvious than usual. At least not as convoluted as the third movie. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Frances H Love this series and thanks to TCM, I was able to watch the complete series in order! What a treat! Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/20 Full Review Read all reviews

The Thin Man Goes Home

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