That Uncertain Feeling - Ernst Lubitsch

Seen for the first time in October 2012.

That Uncertain Feeling is a frustrating comedy in the screwball tradition. It begins promising enough, reminiscent of Ibsen’s “The Doll House,” with promise of a story where a man is forced to confront the idea that his wife is an adult human being, rather than a cute little ball of exuberant naivety to be wholesomely condescended to. As it turns out though, that women deserves all of the condescension that any man, even the most primitive, could muster. And then some.

She allegedly falls in love with the most ridiculous fucking two-bit piano player and seeks a divorce from her husband, who as it turns out is a decent enough guy, with some unflappable charm, who’s a good provider. This piano player is played by Burgess Meredith. I didn’t know exactly who that was, but I knew the name. I thought maybe he was Archie Bunker. He’s actually Mickey from the Rocky movies.

Anyway, this piano player, who in the 21st Century we recognize as having a bit of a homosexual persona, is pretty much an unfathomable jerk. And the fact that the wife in this stays on the line for so long stretches belief to the point where we either have to conclude that this unconvincing “romance” is complete bullshit or we pretty much have to start hating women a little bit, just on principle.

Nonetheless, if we suspend our disbelief, there’s some wit to this. Some fast talking verbal humor. Burgess Meredith plays the clown well enough. It’s not laugh out loud or anything. And the dramatic tension is undone by the lack of plausibility. There’s no way, in a 1940’s movie, does this broad not get back with her husband, when the good-guy/boorish shithead distinction becomes so clearly drawn.

Meredith does at one point say to the woman, upon her first meeting him and telling him he’s funny, something like “I’m funny? I’m a clown?” Which you know, Joe Pesci in “Goodfellas” and all, caught my attention. Also in this era of no fault divorce, I was momentarily confused by their discussion of a correspondent in the divorce proceedings, until I gleaned they were actually talking about a co-respondent, someone they needed to drag into the proceedings for fake affair purposes, cause they didn’t have no fault divorces in those days. Then I chuckled at my confusion. Grade C.