--- title: "The More the Merrier: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-more-the-merrier/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-more-the-merrier" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The More the Merrier (1943): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are uniformly warm, from the film’s release to the present day, with no dissent to speak of. Most critics find it a sparkling, spontaneous comedy that turns the wartime Washington housing shortage into farce, and the praise clusters on the cast. Charles Coburn’s elderly matchmaker is repeatedly singled out as the film’s engine, and Jean Arthur’s rapid-fire delivery draws steady admiration. George Stevens’s off-hand, intimate direction is credited with giving the players room to be charming. The spread is narrow. Where critics part is on what the film is really about. Film Comment treats the romance between Arthur and Joel McCrea as the point, finding the tender scenes its strongest, while the older notices regard the leads as capable rather than central. Reservations are mild: Time Out notes a drift towards sentimentality, and The New Yorker finds the comedy falls apart towards the end. Nobody rates it less than good. ## Film Comment — Sheila O’Malley Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 July 2019. The critic praises the scorching romantic chemistry between Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea as a high-water mark of comedy and romance, noting how director George Stevens gives space for charming performances amid the wartime housing crisis plot. She singles out the tender, sexy scenes and the film's handling of desire and obstacles for particular acclaim. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/tcm-diary-the-chemistry-set-jean-arthur-joel-mccrea-william-powell-myrna-loy-george-stevens/) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 1943. The critic calls the film a warm and refreshing comedy sparked by a clever idea about wartime housing in Washington. Stevens directs brilliantly in an off-hand style, with joyous situations and sparkling, spontaneous dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1943/05/14/archives/-more-the-merrier-sparkling-comedy-opens-at-music-hall-lady-of.html) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1942. The review describes the film as a sparkling and spontaneous farce-comedy of the wartime era. Charles Coburn steals the show with his performance while the romantic leads carry their parts effectively amid hilarious complications. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1942/film/reviews/the-more-the-merrier-1200413985/) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film is a madcap attempt to blend 1930s screwball comedy with a wartime setting focused on a Washington DC housing shortage. The critic highlights the unbeatable cast, particularly Charles Coburn's Oscar-winning turn and Jean Arthur's rapid-fire dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/merrier-review/) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic finds it an engaging post-screwball comedy about wartime housing shortages and romantic mix-ups. They praise the sympathetic ensemble playing and Stevens' intimate direction while noting a drift towards sentimentality. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-more-the-merrier) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 1943. The film is a largely laughable comedy about housing shortages in wartime Washington involving a young woman, an elderly businessman, and a young inventor sharing an apartment. It features funny situations handled well by the cast, especially Arthur and Coburn, though it tends to fall apart toward the end. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1943/05/15/1943-05-15-051-tny-cards-000014853) ## Collider — Luc Haasbroek Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 2026. The critic describes the film as a charming, popular romantic comedy of its time that addressed the wartime housing shortage in Washington D.C. through a story of cramped apartment-sharing and matchmaking. They highlight its balance of warmth and screwball comedy, sparkling dialogue, precise timing, and strong performances from the cast, particularly Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, and Charles Coburn. [Read the review](https://collider.com/best-1943-movies-classics/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-more-the-merrier.md