The film begins as banker Anthony P. Kirby (Arnold) is
returning from Washington DC, where he was granted a government sanctioned
munitions monopoly. Intending to buy a 12 block radius around a competitor’s
factory to put it out of business, there is one house that is holding out.
Kirby instructs his real estate broker, John Blakely, (Clarence Wilson) to
offer a considerable amount of money for the house. And if they won’t accept,
cause trouble.
Kirby’s son, Tony (Stewart) is a vice president in the company
and has fallen in love with a company stenographer, Alice Sycamore (Arthur).
Tony proposes, but Alice is worried that her family would be looked upon poorly
by Tony’s family. The truth is that Alice is the only relatively normal member
of the extremely eccentric Sycamore family, who are the owners of the house
that will not sell.
Kirby and his wife (Mary Forbes) disapprove of Tony’s choice
and before she accepts his proposal, Alice forces Tony to bring his family to
become better acquainted with hers. Tony purposefully brings his family on the
wrong day and the Sycamores are caught off-guard and the house is in disarray.
The meeting is a disaster and while the Kirbys prepare to leave, everyone in
the house is arrested for making unlicensed fireworks and disturbing the peace.
While they are held in the drunk tank preparing to see the night court judge,
Mrs. Kirby insults Alice and makes her feel unworthy of her son. At the court
hearing, the judge (Harry Davenport) repeatedly asks why the Kirbys were at the
house. Grandpa (Barrymore) says it was to talk over selling the house, but
Alice has an outburst and says it was because of her engagement to Tony but
spurns him because of how poorly she has been treated by his family. The papers
snatch the story up and Alice flees the city.
With Alice gone, Grandpa decides to sell the house, meaning
the whole section of the town must vacate to make way for the new factory.
While the Kirby companies merge, Kirby’s competitor (H. B. Warner) dies after
confronting him for being ruthless and a failure of a man. Kirby realizes that
what Grandpa told him in the drunk tank, that he didn’t have any friends is
true. Kirby visits the Sycamore house as they are moving out, where he plays
the harmonica and realizes that these lower-class people he once belittled are
good people. Alice takes Tony back and the film ends as the Sycamores and
Kirbys enjoy a meal together.
Just as It Happened
One Night succeeded with actors whose chemistry made their character
development realistic, You Can’t Take it
with You has great leading characters made believable by the acting work of
Stewart and Arthur. While Stewart hasn’t promised anyone the moon just yet, his
down to earth style of acting gives depth to a character that has just fallen
in love. Arthur really gives Alice the air of uncertainty anyone would feel
when they have a fairly odd family without ruining the delivery.
However, where the film really
succeeds in its romance, it just passes with its comedy. Yes, Alice’s family is
eccentric and screwy and their introduction is great. But when Tony brings his
family by, the fun wackiness of the family keeps ratcheting up and trying to
top itself. By the time they’re all in the court room, these characters’ traits
have gone overboard into annoying and one wonders just how Alice has stayed as
normal as she is. And when Kirby eventually realizes they’re not all bad and
goes to see them, the over the top hilarity becomes more stifled. However, that
might be the effects of having to leave a home one grew up in.
Everything else about the film is
good though. Like It Happened One Night,
any music the film might have is produced in-universe and none of it seems out
of place. And while the film is a little slow to start, it picks up fairly
quickly.
I’m sure this got Best Picture
for showing how a rich tycoon learned that the little people aren’t all bad.
Final Call: Great acting by Jimmy
Stewart and Jean Arthur, but the comedy ends up going into annoyance. It’s not terrible,
but it won’t cross the Edge of Enjoyment. Instead, it’ll replace The Life of Emile Zola as #4
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