Lover Come Back

Directed by Delbert Mann, Lover Come Back details the wacky misunderstanding after rival ad execs (Rock Hudson’s Jerry Webster and Doris Day’s Carol Templeton) begin competing for a hot new product. It’s a comfortably larger-than-life premise that’s employed to watchable yet somewhat forgettable effect by Mann, as the filmmaker, working from a script by Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning, delivers an erratically-paced comedy that fares rather poorly within its sluggish midsection – with the fairly episodic narrative only compounding the picture’s hit-and-miss atmosphere. It’s clear, then, that Lover Come Back benefits strongly from its bright, eye-popping visuals and predictably stellar performances, as, in terms of the latter, both Hudson and Day offer up charismatic and thoroughly affable work that’s heightened by their obvious, palpable chemistry together. (Tony Randall’s scene-stealing turn as Jerry’s insecure, self-deprecating boss remains an obvious highlight within the proceedings, ultimately.) By the time the entertainingly frenetic finale half hour rolls around, Lover Come Back has confirmed its place as a decent-enough romcom that could probably have benefited from a slightly shorter running time.

**1/2 out of ****