$11.24  Father Goose - DVD |
$18.74  To Catch a Thief - DVD |
$7.49  An Affair to Remember - DVD |
$11.98  That Touch of Mink - DVD |
$8.99  Charade - DVD |
 [Larger view] | Houseboat
| ||||||||||||
| |
Average user rating:  | |
 A Bing Bang Bong... | |
| Sophia Loren and Cary Grant team up in this hysterical movie. He's a widower with three children and his widow's sister after him (since she was four years old). Sophia is the daughter of a rich Italian Band conductor - she runs away because she's tired of being told what to do - and becomes the nanny for Grant. The only problem is she can't cook or clean. But the children love her. And soon Grant does too. Two things I learned from this movie: Never park your house on the railroad tracks, and always tie your house tightly to the dock. | |
 Nice 50s movie | |
| The editorial reviews pass this off as a minor film with only the two stars - Cary Grant and Sophia Loren - making it worth your time. They are both great but this film has a little more going for it. Cary Grant is beyond the years when he would stand in the background and steal scenes with facial gestures, here he is well into his Hitchcock years. The 50s was a time of sophistication and pure charm for Cary and Sophia Loren was every thirteen year old boys fantasy. The story is okay in that you know it will end with Cary and Sophia in each other's arms and everybody happy. But that's what a romantic comedy is and if you enjoy romantic comedies you will not be disappointed. Cary is taking on the responsibility of raising his three children alone on a houseboat and Sophia, running away from her famous orchestra conductor father, is the maid. The Maid! Can imagine Sophia as your maid? Or anybody's maid? Through kid problems, arguments, boyfriends, ups and downs, and country club dances it all ends well. It is the two stars that are the attraction here certainly, but wait; there's more. The film would remain a 3 star middle of the road film if it were not for the nice comedic bit by Harry Guardino and a great score. The score is not on a par with Doctor Zhivago by any means but it fits the film nicely and the lead song by Sam Cooke - Almost In Your Arms - is terrific. I bumped the film up a star for Harry Guardino and Sam Cooke's song. | |
| Cary, Sophia and 50s Fashion and Romance at its best | |
| Houseboat was the first movie I ever saw in a drive-in. Imagine seeing Cary Grant and Sophia Loren dancing to a Sam Cooke love song on a screen the size of a football field. The wardrobe for the movie is stunning. When did we stop taking the time to dazzle with matching hats, gloves, etc.? Obvious beauty aside, what really impressed me was the award winning script. The explanation Cary Grant gives as a parent about death, and the kids dialogue and behavior rang true. The kids behaved like any children would when one parent dies, and an absentee parent appears to take them from the safe world of their grandparents. The kids were terrific in their roles. Cary Grant and Sophia Loren were superb considering she had just dumped him to marry her current husband. One wonders what would have happened if Cary and Sophia had really married. Would they have lived happily ever after like they did in Houseboat? Who knows. At least we can have that fantasy time and time again on DVD. |
