Review by J. Gholst
This guy is good looking, dresses well, and has a charming smile, yet he's alone. Every girl he passes on the sidewalk ignores him, and it feels like slap in the face. He's got the goods; he just has to get the merchandise on the shelves. Confused and frustrated, the bachelor sucks down a beer and shares his woes with a barkeep. Reaching below the counter, the bartender pulls out a little black book and gives it to his desperately single patron.
This book is the turning point. Like Dumbo with his feather, no one can keep down this man and his black book. He soon has ladies falling all over themselves with him. Maybe too many.
Charming at every turn, this B+W film is a delight. Director Gilbert Marhoefer has crafted a story laced with understated insight. Any guy who's ever walked the streets eye agape at the buffet of women should smile at this one.
There's a special something about this movie. It's like an approachably attractive girl. She's good looking, but doesn't make you go dumb with beauty shock. She grows on you over time until she's gorgeous in your eyes. This film attracts in much the same way. It's funny, but not super funny. It's cute, but not Family Channel cute. And it all comes together so nicely.
Through great music selection and casting the director turns a movie that could have easily been a failure into success. From a plot stand point there isn't much here. A twist at the end is attempted, but it drifts away unfelt; if the cast had been any different, these flaws would have killed it. Everyone here seems so nice, and it doesn't hurt that the girls surpass the approachably attractive mark. But it is the confident lighting and excellent editing that assure success. One suggestion: I would consider redoing the intro sequence in B+W. The transition from animated color to photographed B+W is quite brutal, putting a bump in what is an otherwise seamless film.
GRADE: A-