Last night I attended what could have very well been one of the most fun New Year's Eve parties ever. It was at the residence of Nick (William Powell) and Nora Charles (Myrna Loy), a delightful pair of alcoholic lovebirds. He is a former private eye that has never met a martini he didn't like, and she is the gorgeous sugar mama that possesses the ability to match her husband's intelligence and drinking habits shot-for-shot.The story of The Thin Man begins almost the same way that most noir or comedic mysteries of this nature do, and that is with the disappearance of a screwy scientist (e.g. The Shadow, Scooby Doo). It turns out that this scientist is an old friend of Nick's (who isn't?), and when the scientist's daughter pleads for Nick's help he reluctantly agrees. I got the felling the main reason Nick doesn't want to get involved is because the case would cut into happy hour.
Once the case begins to piece itself together the amount of danger for the happy couple starts add up. Take for instance the scene where Nick punches Nora in the face. This is not the result of a drunken stupor, but rather a husband saving his beloved from a gunman's bullet. It could be one of the sweetest acts of spousal abuse ever caught on film. Seriously, it is right up there with Ed Harris smacking the bejesus out of Mary Elizabeth Masrantonio while encouraging her to fight for a breath in The Abyss. The funny thing is you never see fear from this pair of sleuths. He just wants to gets his name cleared and out of the press, and she is just having fun with this dangerous new lifestyle.
The film's climax is a must-see for fans of goofy murder mysteries like Murder by Death or Clue. It involves Nick and Nora inviting all of the suspects in the case over for a dinner party on New Year's Eve. Once they have all been seated Nick breaks down the results of his investigation knowing full well who has done it without yet revealing who the perp actually is. As Nick throws wild accusations around his wife leans in and whispers to him "Is this true?" and he replies "I don't know, but it's the only way it makes sense." That is the kind of wit and sharp humor that flow though this winner.
Do not let the fact that The Thin Man is 75 years old keep you from checking it out. There is a reason that a film like this is referred to as a classic. To get into the spirit of the film I partook in a few drinks myself while watching it. After my third I realized I was enjoying how smart, fast and funny this one truly was. What's funnier is that I still felt the same way about it the next morning. A
1 comments:
Great review, Allen! I had heard of The Thin Man, but I never realized it was a comedy! I will certainly add it to my Netflix queue.
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