My American Wife is charming, if a bit dusty

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for 1930s romantic comedies that don't take themselves too seriously, you'll probably enjoy My American Wife. It’s light, breezy, and features the kind of family drama that feels like it was written to be watched on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

If you hate movies where the 'big misunderstanding' could be solved by a five-minute conversation, you are going to be pulling your hair out. The plot depends entirely on people refusing to speak plainly to one another.

Francis Lederer plays the Count with this earnestness that’s almost too much. He’s so eager to be a regular guy that he forgets he’s married to someone who really, really loves being a Countess. It’s a weird power dynamic, but it works because he plays it like he’s genuinely lost.

The family in Smelter City? They’re basically a caricature of small-town snobbery. Watching them try to squeeze him into a bank job he clearly doesn't want is funny, but the script makes sure we know exactly who the 'good guys' are way too early.

Oddly Specific Details

• The bank scenes feel like they were filmed in a room that was definitely not a bank.
• I spent way too long looking at the hats in the background of the socialite parties. Some of those are truly wild.
• The transition from 'I'm leaving you' to 'actually, I love you' happens with the speed of a runaway train. It’s jarring, but kind of sweet.

There’s a bit of a subplot involving a 'homely daughter' that serves as the movie’s final act trigger. It feels like a total cheat, honestly. The movie needs a reason for the wife to get jealous, so they just throw a random character in there and hope we don't notice how paper-thin it is.

It’s not quite as sharp as A Most Immoral Lady, which handled the whole 'European aristocrat meets cynical society' vibe with a bit more bite. This one prefers to play it safe.

The whole ranch house thing is the funniest part of the film. He’s building this structure out in the desert like he’s trying to build a new identity from scratch. You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you that wearing cowboy boots is the ultimate cure for being a nobleman. 🤠

It’s fine. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s a pleasant enough way to kill eighty minutes. Sometimes that’s really all you need.