Movie Review: The Thin Man (Thin Man Movies #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: William Powell, Myrna Loy, laughs

Cons: Mystery decent but a little weak

The Bottom Line:

So much fun banter

Makes for entertaining film

Even with weak plot

Classic Comedic Mystery

I seem to have a hit or miss relationship with older films. Some are enjoyable. Some are horrible to slog through. Kinda like modern films I guess. Being the mystery fan I am, I had heard of The Thin Man for many years but put off watching it because of the age of the film. I finally broke down and watched it, and I was pleasantly surprised by just how enjoyable it was.

Clyde Wynant, the "Thin Man" of the title, (Edward Ellis) is planning to go into seclusion for a few months. He'll be back in New York in time for his daughter's Christmas wedding. But before he disappears, he discovers that someone has been stealing from him. Figuring out who it is, he sets out to confront the thief before he leaves town.

Fast forward a few months, and daughter Dorothy (Maureen O'Sullivan) is getting worried. With the wedding only days away, Clyde is still gone. She runs into former private eye Nick Charles (William Powell) who is in New York for a vacation with his wife Nora (Myrna Loy). While he refuses to get involved in the case, the police and reporters think he is investigating. The stakes are raised when a murder takes place and a villain breaks into Nick and Nora's hotel room. Will Nick solve the case? Where is Clyde?

I don't know what it is about older actors, but I just can't seem to tell them apart, so I spend half an old film going "Wait, who was that again?" While that happened a few times here, I was always reminded quickly by the story just who I was watching, so I was able to keep up fairly easily.

Another complaint I have is that older films tend to drag. That wasn't the case here. Okay, the pacing could have been a little better in the beginning, but on the whole it worked quite well. There were enough mysterious bits and pieces to keep me engaged as I watched the plot unravel.

That's not to say the mystery was the best. I saw a few major plot points coming miles away. Others did take me by surprise, and the other all story was pretty good. The ending was the old gather all the suspects to confront them device. That can be strong or weak, but here I thought it came off rather weakly.

Of course, the main reason these movies are famous is the Nick and Nora Charles relationship. And I must say I loved it. Their relationship is part love and part competition with a little bit of sass thrown in for good measure. The result is a quick witted laugh fest. Frankly, I was disappointed that Nora wasn't as involved in the main storyline as I thought she would be. She needed to be in every scene. I cracked up so many times at their dialogue.

The praise for this absolutely goes to William Powell and Myrna Loy. They have amazing chemistry that makes the relationship absolutely believable. And they trade barbs with such relish it takes some of the sting out of the words. While the lines themselves are funny and would get laughs, they elevate the writing to a completely different plain.

And, no, I'm not leaving out the rest of the cast. While older films can be overacted by today's standards, I didn't find that here. The performances fit the parts.

There's a reason everyone knows about Nick and Nora Charles. If you haven't met them yet, sit back and enjoy The Thin Man today.