Smart Woman (1931) Review: Mary Astor is too good for her husband

You should definitely watch this today if you like seeing Mary Astor be way smarter than everyone else in the room. It is a quick watch and pretty funny in a dry way.

If you hate old movies where people talk like they are on a theater stage, you will probably hate this. Also, if you can't stand seeing a woman fight for a husband who is clearly a total loser, this might make you mad.

Nancy (that's Mary Astor) comes home from Europe and finds out her husband, Donald, is obsessed with this blonde lady named Peggy. Most people would just pack their bags and leave, but Nancy is built different.

She decides to play a game. She hires this guy she met on the boat, Sir Guy, to pretend to be her new lover. It is actually kind of a genius move.

The husband, Donald, is played by Robert Ames. I have to be honest, his character is so annoying. He falls for everything Nancy does, and you kind of just want to shake him.

Why does she want him back? He has the personality of a wet paper towel. He’s just sitting there looking confused while Nancy is running circles around him.

The movie moves really fast. It’s barely over an hour long, so there isn't much time for fluff. Sometimes the scenes cut away so fast I wondered if I missed a page of the script.

I noticed the furniture in their house is insane. It looks like they live in a museum, not a home. Nobody actually sits on chairs that look that uncomfortable.

Edward Everett Horton is in this too. He plays the friend, and he is doing his usual nervous guy routine. I think he’s the best part of these old movies sometimes because he feels like a real person who is just tired of everyone's drama.

There is a scene where they are all at dinner and the tension is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Nancy is just sitting there, being totally cool, while the other woman is losing her mind. Mary Astor has this look she gives where you know she’s ten steps ahead of everyone else.

It reminds me a bit of Passion Flower because of the whole marriage drama thing. But this one is more of a comedy, or at least it tries to be.

The guy she hires, Sir Guy, is played by John Halliday. He’s actually really charming. I found myself wishing she would just stay with him instead of going back to the husband.

There is a weird moment where the husband gets all possessive. It’s funny because he’s the one who was cheating first! Men in 1931 were really something else, I guess. 🙄

Things I noticed while watching:

• The hats in this movie are huge. I don't know how they kept their balance.
• The dialogue is super snappy, like a ping-pong match.
• There is a maid who keeps popping in and out and she looks like she’s seen too much.
• The music is barely there, which makes the silence in the room feel really awkward during the fights.

I also kept thinking about Lady Windermere's Fan while watching this. It has that same vibe of high-society people making their lives way harder than they need to be.

One thing that felt off was how quickly the husband changed his mind. One minute he is in love with the blonde, and the next he is crying because Nancy might have a new boyfriend. It happened so fast it felt like a jump cut in his brain.

The sets are very pretty, though. Everything is shiny and art-deco. It makes the movie feel more expensive than it probably was.

I liked the ending, even if it felt a little bit rushed. It didn't try to give some big speech about morality. It just kind of... ended.

If you have an hour to kill and want to see some pre-code era fashion and snarky comments, give it a look. It’s not a masterpiece like Danger Lights, but it’s a fun time.

I honestly think Mary Astor carried the whole thing on her back. Without her, it would just be a movie about a guy being a jerk in a nice suit. She makes it worth it.

The way she handles the "other woman" is the highlight. She doesn't get into a catfight. She just acts like she’s better than her, which she is. 💅

Anyway, it’s a solid little film. Not perfect, and the husband is a dork, but it’s got spirit.