January 16, 2001

Housesitter

Housesitter2 Stars

A Cheap Imitation!January 16, 2001

Housesitter is an awful rewrite of the charming 1941 movie It Started with Eve. Unlike Deanna Durbin's character, who is honest and likeable, Goldie Hawn plays a pathological liar no decent person could respect. In fact, the whole plot of the original has been so cheapened that it's hard to accept any of the relationships between characters, or the final outcome. The two movies share a cast of characters in similar roles, and even humorous scenes like tripping over a living-room chair, but the wholesome quality of the original is totally lost in Housesitter. The film's only saving grace is the superb acting of its well-picked cast. The story line, though, has been shamefully distorted. I would expect a rewrite to improve on the original, but comparing these two films saddens me to think how far American screenwriting—and perhaps our sense of values—has deteriorated over those 50 years. — Paul A. Scott 

Posted by pscott at January 16, 2001 04:58 PM