The Lady Eve (1941)

Hails it as a wonderfully witty masterpiece and unequalled sparkling combination of romance and screwball comedy. Praises the perfect casting of Fonda and Stanwyck in near career-best roles.

The critic presents the film as a classic screwball comedy highlighting Sturges's sharp wit and the sparkling chemistry between Stanwyck and Fonda. It singles out the battle-of-the-sexes dynamics and Stanwyck's masterful performance for particular praise.

The 1941 classic showcases Sturges at his peak with nervy energy, impudent humor, and expert construction like a practiced card trick. Stanwyck shines as the spirited con woman whose performance, alongside Fonda’s, gives the film its luster and bracing verve.

The review calls the film a masterpiece of romantic comedy that uses the Garden of Eden myth to explore equality in relationships through pratfalls and sharp dialogue. It singles out Stanwyck's versatile performance, blending intelligence, wit, and vulnerability, as a standout element.

The critic praises this glorious 1941 screwball comedy (revived in UK cinemas) for its childlike fantasy innocence and tremendous dialogue, with Stanwyck delivering a bravura double performance as the card-sharp who upstages everyone.

Sturges is hailed as a comic master whose new film is among the most delightful and amusing in years, full of civilized adult humor and mischievous gibes. It offers a sly, satiric take on gullible males and treacherous females, with sharp character work and sparkling dialogue.

Calls it a beguilingly ribald sex comedy that is very nearly perfection and quintessential Sturges. Praises the superb pairing of Fonda and Stanwyck and the mix of slapstick, wit and moving romance.

The film is top-tier laugh entertainment thanks to its slick situations, spontaneous dialogue, and slapstick elements. Stanwyck, Fonda, and Coburn deliver strong performances in this well-paced screwball comedy.

The review calls it a wonderful picture whose left-field plot kinks are part of the fun, praising Sturges's ability to send up both wealthy snobs and con artists while highlighting Barbara Stanwyck's devastating, charming performance as Jean/Eve.

The critic praises the film's urbane take on the battle of the sexes, with Stanwyck's Jean/Eve in control and Fonda's character hapless yet endearing. It highlights the verbal pyrotechnics, postmodern elements like the mirror scene, and the psychological acuity in the con and romance plot.

The critic argues it is Preston Sturges's real triumph and one of the best film comedies ever, comparing its plot to Vertigo as farce and praising the erotic charge of the courtship scenes, the wit of even minor characters, and the improvisatory storytelling style.

The piece hails the 1941 screwball comedy as a swoon-worthy indictment of the class system that mixes zip, sparkle and cruel truths about gender and social climbing, singling out Barbara Stanwyck's sublime, sexually confident performance as Jean/Eve and the match with Henry Fonda's character.

Praises the Preston Sturges Paramount films for their enduring comic invention and modern resonance. Singles out The Lady Eve for its unexpected thematic parallel to Vertigo as a comic variation on similar material.

The critic calls it a masterpiece and one of Preston Sturges' cleverest and best-beloved romantic comedies, balancing broad slapstick with sophisticated sexiness. She singles out the perfect script, sharp dialogue, and stellar cast led by Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda for particular praise.

The critic praises Henry Fonda's against-type performance as a naive, bumbling heir in this Preston Sturges screwball comedy, noting how it subverts his usual everyman image while highlighting his vulnerability and comedic timing. The review singles out the sparkling chemistry and witty banter between Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck as the film's greatest strength.