Designing Woman

1957

Action / Comedy / Romance

9
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 82% · 11 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 68% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.7/10 10 5887 5.9K

Plot summary

A sportswriter who marries a fashion designer discovers that their mutual interests are few, although each has an intriguing past which makes the other jealous.

Top cast

Gregory Peck as Mike Hagen
Shailar Coby as Johnnie 'O'
Edward Platt as Martin J. Daylor
Chuck Connors as Johnnie 'O'
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
954.85 MB
1280*534
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 58 min
Seeds 2
1.84 GB
1920*800
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 58 min
Seeds 4

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by HillstreetBunz 6 / 10

Stylish comedy that has timed-out culturally

I was born in 64 and grew up watching all those great (and not so great) old movies from the 30s onwards on TV. My love of cinema continued and I've been an avid moviegoer ever since. I am sad that as most of these movies are no longer shown on TV, audiences are not exposed to them and therefore don't see their value. Many young people couldn't contemplate watching a B&W movie under any circumstances. Amongst my own world I often encourage them to watch a rare appearance of an old 'classic' in the streaming schedules. That said, I watched this film today (2023) and whilst I recognised it as a film I enjoyed 40 years ago, its polite sexism undermines any enjoyment today. It makes the leading man seem narrow and shows a fragile ego (and if you can do that to Peck, there's no hope for any other chap). And it makes the leading lady seem silly and childish (which because Bacall could never be that, makes her character a bit unbelievable). It occurs to me that this is a problem with many American movies of the 50s, and that it strangely doesn't apply to the output of the 30s and 40s. I suspect its because of the post war desire to put women back in their place (the home etc). These mainstream 50s movies despite their amazing design and production values and the charismatic stars of the day, really are becoming anachronistic in ways that 'suspension of disbelief' cant overcome (at least not at this distance). I recently watched Pillow Talk, the Doris Day/Rock Hudson vehicle that is probably the best example of this genre. I must say it stands up well. I think the script and the direction there are pacier and funnier, and maybe precisely because it is the most extreme example of this genre (virginal almost 40 years old Doris and closeted Gay icon Rock) it stands outside it now, we enjoy the game knowingly. The same can't work here, and doesn't. Pity, there are still things to enjoy, but it has too many cringe inducing cliches even for a sixty year old white male like me, so god knows what the young would say, with their intolerance of other spheres etc.
Reviewed by

Reviewed by HotToastyRag 7 / 10

Great 50s romantic comedy

While Designing Woman isn't as famous as other romantic classics, like Pillow Talk or Woman of the Year, there's a lot to love about this hidden gem from 1957. On a sad note, Humphrey Bogart was dying during the filming of this movie. Lauren Bacall said in her autobiography that Gregory Peck was a wonderful friend to them, and that his kindness and strength helped her survive the terrible tragedy. So, in case you sense any sort of tension in Lauren's performance, I hope you'll cut her some slack.

Lauren plays a fashion designer, and Greg plays a sports writer. They fall in love and get married, but after their impulsive decision, they soon find they have very little in common. My favorite scene is when they are ordering at a restaurant. Lauren has previously revealed that she eats a lot when she's happy and in love, so when she orders a humungous meal, she looks at him sheepishly as they both realize she's fallen in love with him. It reminds me of the fantastic line from Sex, Lies and Videotape that Andie MacDowell says: "The last time I was happy, I got so fat!"

All in all, it's pretty funny, with jokes about hangovers, sex, and infidelity that snuck past the strict Hollywood censors. If you like either of the leads, or if you like cute, smart flicks from the 1950s, give this one a try. It's as if Lauren's character from How to Marry a Millionaire met Greg's character from Roman Holiday and fell in love!

Read more IMDb reviews

2 Comments

Be the first to leave a comment