The two thoughts I had running through my head over and over again while watching None but the Lonely Heart was “this movie sucks” and most crucially, “I can’t believe he got nominated for this”. It’s dumbfounding that of all the iconic films in Cary Grant’s filmography, Oscar’s attention only came for Penny Serenade and for this one. As Ernie Mott (the film has a stupid habit of reiterating his name over and over again, as if it knows we’re so bored by the picture’s cruddiness that we’d tune it all out), the wandering loser who comes back to help out with his sick mom’s shop, only to get caught up in some illegal dealings, Cary is so totally, utterly…mundane.
In fact, “mundane” pretty much sums up None But the Lonely Heart in general. Coming in at a staggeringly slow two hours, wherein nothing of interest really happens, we’re forced to watch Cary Grant play a lesser version of “Cary Grant”, though this time accentuated with a shoddy cockney accent. Never mind that the film completely sucks and doesn’t really allow for Ernie to do anything whatsoever…I say Grant plays a “lesser version” of himself because at the end of the day, one would expect that Grant’s signature charismatic energy will pull him through for at least a slightly interesting watch. But there was not a single moment in this godforsaken flick and performance where I was even a bit intrigued by him. He doesn’t seem himself; rather, he seems totally out of tune with himself, or totally understanding of how lame the movie is such that he doesn’t even want to bother. His cockney accent drops in and out, and even in a few of his more serious moments his acting comes across as blank. He doesn’t have any sort of fire behind the way he speaks or carries himself, instead just uttering out lines matter-of-factly. Overall it's a performance that's passionless and empty; more so, it's a wholly disappointing effort to highlight as one of the best of the year and, while I've many more of his films left to watch, I'm going to safely assume it's one of Grant's blandest.
:o Thanks for the warning: I'll stick to Notorious and North By Northwest.
ReplyDeleteDid Barrymore deserve her oscar?
ReplyDeleteI'd say that Barrymore was pretty good, easily the best thing about this humdrum flick. I'd have to get back to you on whether or not she deserved it once I see Jones + Lansbury!
Delete:(( surprised to hear, never saw it. Didn't the film win something big like NBR?
ReplyDeletewas gonna ask about Barrymore, I see u replied above.
I'm in complete agreement with you. This film is overlong, boring and drab .... not words that usually come to mind when I think of Grant's movies. I suppose the Academy tended to shy away from comedic noms so this was their way of telling Grant "we liked you in them too". Wrong film .... and I thought Barrymore was her usual insufferable matriarch (her stock-in-trade).
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