Arsenic & Old Lace

ARSENIC & OLD LACE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: morbid humor

Rated:

Mortimer Brewster is against the idea of marriage. Unfortunately his girlfriend Elaine thinks quite differently. In a rash, passionate moment, Mortimer is married, but his plans take a dumping when he returns to his aunts to give them the good news, only to discover that they've been giving nice old men wine laced with arsenic as a "kind service" to rid the "poor things" of their loneliness. Then, they're buried in the basement, complete with a touching memorial service, with the help of Mortimer's half-brained brother, who's convinced he's Teddy Roosevelt, digging the Canal and burying yellow fever victims. Convinced he can get Teddy committed and therefore explain these rash acts of murder, Mortimer is forced to put his wife literally on hold as he gathers together the proper documents, and in the meantime attempts to explain to his aunts that what they're doing is wrong.

Elaine can't understand why he's throwing her out of the house. Aunt Abby and Martha are quite happy with their touch of arsenic. And Teddy's riling the neighbors with his charge up San Juan Hill. As if that isn't enough, while Mortimer is out getting the proper papers signed for Teddy's commitment into Happydale, his other brother Jonathan, a holy terror, returns to the house with his nutbrained sidekick Dr. Einstein and a body in the backseat. They decide to burry it in the basement, with hilarious and often spine-tingling results. What happens is a mixture of comedy and seriousness that only director Frank Capra could pull off. Take an over-edged Cary Grant, a charming and often childish wife, two crazy aunts, Theodore Roosevelt, and a "Boris Karloff lookalike" and you've got Arsenic & Old Lace... a Halloween tale, because "strange things often happen on Halloween." It's a hundred laughs a minute, while mixing in a good dose of insanity and sinister twists, that leaves you howling late into the night. With one-liners you'll never forget, Arsenic & Old Lace is a definite classic, especially for a dark and stormy night.

Cary Grant shines in what he called the most annoying of all his roles, Raymond Massey really did look like Boris Karloff (who later, hilariously, played the role of Jonathan in the stage version), Peter Loore's a wonderfully demented plastic surgeon, and Elaine's innocence in the whole crazy plot just make you want to curl up and die laughing. From the wedding of Elaine and Mortimer, to Teddy's charge up "San Juan Hill," this is one movie you don't want to miss. There isn't really anything to be wary of -- some kissing and violence, but some people may object to the story itself -- which mocks nutty people, murder, and anti-feminists in general. Although my mother and I died laughing over this hilarious film, my father was offended and left halfway through. It's a matter of taste but either way, you'll never forget Arsenic & Old Lace.