The Awful Truth
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: October 21, 1937 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
87
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
One of the great screwball comedies. [23 Jan 1998, p.N]
100
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
The issues deepen in a subtle, natural way: the film begins as a trifle and ends as something beautiful and affirmative. A classic. Read full review
100
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
A superbly lighthearted production, and the epitome of 1930s screwball comedies. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineChuck Bowen
The Awful Truth is a perfect farce, devoid of any fat, in which Lucy and Jerry’s fantasies and schemes topple after one another like figurative dominoes. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverTerry Lawson
It's one of those films in which even the dog is funny. [14 Mar 2004, p.9E]
80
Los Angeles TimesMark Chalon Smith
McCarey and his team of Dunne and Grant bring a patina of slapstick to this high-society story based on Arthur Richman's play and adapted for the screen by Vina Delmar. [03 Oct 1991, p.12]
80
The New YorkerPauline Kael
Irene Dunne's way with a quip is to smile brightly and wring it dry, but she's at her best here.
80
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
A routine story perhaps, but McCarey transforms it , through his customary affection for his characters and taut pacing, into delightfully effective entertainment. Read full review
70
The New York TimesFrank S. Nugent
Awfully unimportant, but it is also one of the more laughable screen comedies of 1937. Read full review
60
CineVueChristopher Machell
The film lacks the crackle of Grant’s later masterpieces yet there remains a great deal to enjoy here with an ending that surprises with its tenderness, not-so-subtle eroticism and visual wit. Read full review
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