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Topper

Play trailer Poster for Topper 1937 1h 37m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
George (Cary Grant) and Marion Kerby (Constance Bennett) are a young, happy-go-lucky couple who love to party. But after a car accident kills them both, they discover that they haven't done enough good deeds to earn a trip to heaven. To remedy this problem, they decide to help their old uptight boss, Cosmo Topper (Roland Young), live a little. While Topper begins to take their ghostly advice and enjoy life for a change, his controlling wife finds her husband's laid-back behavior infuriating.

Critics Reviews

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TIME Magazine 09/17/2008
Signalizes [Roach's] entry into full-length sophistication. Go to Full Review
Variety Staff Variety 09/17/2008
Cary Grant and Constance Bennett, as the reincarnated Kerbys, do their assignments with great skill. Go to Full Review
Geoff Andrew Time Out 06/24/2006
Too gentle and leisurely to survive as a solid classic, though there's pleasure to be found in the cast's graceful way with comedy and their smooth ensemble playing. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 07/30/2020
3/10
Despite the originality of the premise, there's a slowness to the introduction of the supernatural elements, as well as with Topper's reception of his ghostly tutors. Go to Full Review
Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine 07/23/2019
It's the old story of the turning worm, and while it's handled briskly here, most of the entertainment is in the ingenious camera trickery. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/28/2012
B+
Boasting strong performances from Cary Grant and Constance Bennett, this sophisticated screwball comedy was so popular that it led to two sequels (without Grant). Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Ernie K @ErnieK 1d To some it seems dated, but there's comic gold and outstanding acting to behold. This was an era where screwball comedy was great, and in particular Cary Grant was wonderful at portraying a befuddled yet sophisticated leading man. See more Kalissa H. @kali_416 May 20 Not as great as other movies from the time. See more joel h @786Joel 08/03/2022 I didn't know anything about Topper before watching it, so parts of it were quite surprising to me. To be honest, I was kind of annoyed by Cary Grant's and Constance Bennett's characters at first. I also didn't understand why Topper was the main focus. However, by the end, this film had just enough charm to win me over. I still don't get how this movie spawned multiple sequels, though. See more michael d @RT16138633 12/26/2021 Some great sight gags made this a big hit in its day, enough that two sequels were made (although not nearly as good.) Cary Grant and Constance Bennett certainly are a handsome leading couple but it's Roland Young, as "Cosmo Topper," who steals the show. He's a stiff old man who quickly loosens up and the transformation is fun to watch. Bennett was a legitimate 1930s glamor girl who looks just great in here and pairs off well with the handsome Grant. The two of them also exhibit a good comedic touch. They had a lot to offer besides good looks. Even more handsome than those two was the automobile - wow, what a great-looking sports car! I''m glad to see other reviewers comment on it. It was awesome. By the way, I know Hollywood liked to preach in some of these classic films that everyone gets into heaven, but this was "topped" them all. In here, the theology was that "all it takes is ONE good deed" during your lifetime. Ohhhhh-kay. See more Cameron M @Cameron11 09/07/2021 A pretty funny film with great performances from Young, Grant and Bennett. The film sees Topper get into a lot of funny altercations with the ghosts of Mr and Mrs Kerby. The special effects are very impressive in the film and helped sell the comedic scenes. There is one scene where Topper is being carried out by the two ghosts which was particularly funny. The interactions between Topper and his wife are also pretty funny and well-acted. Young was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and, in my opinion, was better than the other nominees I have seen (Bellamy & Mitchell). There were some problems with the film such as the ghosts bringing attention to themselves when it wasn't needed. For example, Mrs Kerry being invisible just to cause shenanigans when it wasn't needed. Another odd aspect of the film was when Topper went to jail and, as a result, his wife made new friends because they thought they were cool now. Overall, a fun film that is well-acted and has some great gags. See more steve d @RT35616104 07/23/2020 It has not aged well. See more Read all reviews
Topper

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis George (Cary Grant) and Marion Kerby (Constance Bennett) are a young, happy-go-lucky couple who love to party. But after a car accident kills them both, they discover that they haven't done enough good deeds to earn a trip to heaven. To remedy this problem, they decide to help their old uptight boss, Cosmo Topper (Roland Young), live a little. While Topper begins to take their ghostly advice and enjoy life for a change, his controlling wife finds her husband's laid-back behavior infuriating.
Director
Norman Z. McLeod
Producer
Hal Roach
Screenwriter
Eric Hatch, Jack Jevne, Eddie Moran, Thorne Smith
Distributor
Film Classics Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co
Hal Roach Studios Inc.
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 16, 1937, Wide
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Mono
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