SummaryA trio of classy card sharks targets the socially awkward heir to brewery millions for his money, until one of them falls in love with him.
Directed By:Preston Sturges
Written By:Monckton Hoffe, Preston Sturges
The Lady Eve
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
96
User score
Generally Favorable
6.9
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
96
100% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
Nowhere was American comedy in the '40s more frivolously sophisticated than in the movies of Preston Sturges, and The Lady Eve is his most satisfying romantic film. [05 May 1988, p.C7]
100
A frivolous masterpiece. Like Bringing Up Baby, The Lady Eve is a mixture of visual and verbal slapstick, and of high artifice and pratfalls.
100
A wonderful picture set in a world of silly heirs and sharp-eyed dolls as remote from reality and yet wholly credible as that of P. G. Wodehouse.
100
If I were asked to name the single scene in all of romantic comedy that was sexiest and funniest at the same time, I would advise beginning at six seconds past the 20-minute mark in Preston Sturges' The Lady Eve, and watching as Barbara Stanwyck toys with Henry Fonda's hair in an unbroken shot that lasts three minutes and 51 seconds.
90
A star in every genre, Stanwyck epitomized both the steely femme fatale (Double Indemnity) and the heartbreaking melodramatic heroine (Stella Dallas), but her performance in The Lady Eve was the only one to showcase her full range of ability. Her line readings sparkle with ruthless intelligence and wit, but she's also capable of surprising openness and vulnerability.
90
With The Lady Eve, which arrived yesterday at the Paramount, Mr. Sturges is indisputably established as one of the top one or two writers and directors of comedy working in Hollywood today. A more charming or distinguished gem of nonsense has not occurred since It Happened One Night.
80
The picture returns the lately heavily dramatic Barbara Stanwyck to glamor, with 25 swank costume changes, and reveals homespun Henry Fonda, with a drawing room haircut and 14 sound tailoring jobs, as one of the screen's most socially eligible juveniles.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.9
77% Positive
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
8% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
15% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Jan 16, 2021
8
Fruitman Reviews: Top 52 Movies of all Time. #52: The Lady Eve
Date: 17-01-2021
Author: Tim Yeend
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Metacritic Score: 96
Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes
Original Release: March 21st 1941 General Review:
Being only the second black and white film I have ever seen I wasn’t sure what the expect. Romance films are not normally my cup of tea but I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. I found myself genuinely interested in the characters. Throughout the movie I was enthralled with finding out how it would end, however the ending was somewhat of a letdown. The Good:
The acting by both the main actors (Barbara Stanwyck as the titular lady eve and Henry Fonda as the love interest Charles) was fantastic. The rest of the cast was also good but the main two were superb in their ability to portray emotions both in their voice, facial expressions and body language all throughout the movie.
The story, a very well written story that kept me entertained from start to finish, there were never any dull or boring parts. The Bad:
Charles the naïve fool, for someone who is supposedly a scientist he is very naïve and lacks critical thinking. But I guess a pretty lady supposedly makes even the smartest man a fool.
The ending, without spoiling the storyline I cannot go into much detail as to why I didn’t like the ending but it seemed a little bit rushed and unbelievable. Being spoilt growing up in the current era of films with modern technology made this film difficult to watch at certain times, mostly in the scenes with more rapid movement, or the zoomed-out scenes. It feels a bit harsh to bring this up but it did detract from the overall experience for myself Final Thoughts:
A romance, come revenge story line with superb acting and an enthralling story with interesting characters, with some scenes that truly made me laugh. I was pleasantly surprised that a movie from the 40s portrayed a woman as an intelligent, interesting and lead character. If you are a fan of romance movies I highly recommend giving it a watch. Score:
7.5 out of 10 pineapples!
Apr 18, 2025
1
¿Cómo puedo describir una película tan mala? Y no solo eso, es insufrible, infumable, basura infecta. Aguanté todo lo que pude, pero no tiene gracia, no tiene alma, no hay un solo momento en donde la película sea medianamente disfrutable. Generalmente, las películas empiezan algo lentas y de a poco se vuelven interesantes, pero en esta no hay nada que pueda decir de bueno. Ya llevo casi 200 películas vistas en este recorrido histórico, y esta, sin duda, es la peor que he visto. ¿Quién se puede creer su historia? ¿Quién puede creer que es otra chica? Las caídas insulsas, todo está mal hecho. ¿Cómo actores que han hecho buenas películas, porque las he visto, pueden hacer algo tan vomitivo y abominable, horrible?
