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William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Jean Dixon ... see more see more... , Eugene Pallette , Alan Mowbray , Mischa Auer , Robert Light , Pat Flaherty , Franklin Pangborn , Grady Sutton , James Flavin , Robert Perry , Ernie S. Adams , Jack Chefe , Chick Collins , Phyllis Crane , Eddie Fetherstone , Grace Field , Bess Flowers , Edward Gargan , Selmar Jackson , Reginald Mason , Bob Perry , Katherine Perry , Jean Rogers , Harley Wood , Jane Wyman , David S. Horsley , Arthur Wanzer , Arthur Singley , David Ward

One of the landmark "screwball" comedies of the 1930s, My Man Godfrey offers the radiant Carole Lombard in her definitive performance as flighty young heiress Irene Bullock, who on a society scavenger... read more read more... hunt stumbles on Godfrey (William Powell), an erudite hobo residing in the city dump. Godfrey becomes the family's butler, much to the dismay of Irene's father Alexander (Eugene Pallette), who thinks his household is crazy enough without another apparent lunatic under his roof. Halfway through the film, we discover that Godfrey isn't a penniless bum at all, but the scion of a wealthy Boston family. Having been burned by an unhappy romance, Godfrey dropped out of life, taking up residence in the dump. Here his faith in humanity was restored by his fellow indigents, who managed to survive and remain optimistic despite the worst deprivations. Meanwhile, however, he wants to straighten out the Bullock family, who he feels are a basically decent bunch beneath all their pretensions and eccentricities -- and along the way, of course, Irene determines that Godfrey will be her husband. While Godfrey's ultimate "solution" to the exigencies of the Depression seems more of a placebo, My Man Godfrey is all in all a totally satisfying jolt of 1930s-style wish fulfillment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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27 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Gregory La Cava

Release Date: September 6, 1936

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DVD Release Date: September 17, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (529)

  • hunterjt13
    May 8, 2012
    hunterjt13
    A socialite falls for her butler who has a secret about his past.
    What great satire. The way the upper classes are exposed as caddy and the way they treat the lower classes as playthings resonates even today when some people wonder at the plight of the poor: "If they don't have ... read moreenough money, why don't they buy more of it?"
    William Powell's performance is of the time, reserved and aloof but occasionally charming, and Carole Lombard nails the flighty Irene Bullock.
    Overall, this is a film that has certainly stood the test of time and remains poignantly funny.
  • flixsterman
    April 10, 2012
    flixsterman
    Incredible cinema! This is why we love Carole Lombard, William Powell and screwball comedies.
  • fb1038944442
    December 7, 2011
    fb1038944442
    My Man Godfrey is on of the most perfect and deciptively light hearted romatic comedies of all time. This apparently screwball confection is about the class system, poverty, the dignity of humanity and a true soul match between two people who complete each other. However, you ... read morecan turn your brain off to those deeper themes and enjoy one of the most wittily written, superbly cast and beautifully shot pieces of black and white artistry from Hollywood's golden era.

    It's about a homeless man being instantly enlisted on a whim and made into the butler for a dysfunctional rich family and rising to the occasion. Neither he nor the wacky family are what they first appear to be.

    FIrst and foremost in this embarrasment of riches is the indelibly charismatic and intelligent peformances by Powell and Lombard - and their scintillating chemistry. Powell shows great depth with subtlety and perfect comic timing, and Lombard is beautiful, quirky, vulerable and you can't take your eyes off her. They play two interesting, well rounded and flawed people who we filmgoers want desperately to wind up together. Second is the rest of the crackerjack cast, every role cast to perfection. Then is the economical script and direction, where not a scene is longer or shorter than it needs to be, and is peformed with restrained honesty and precision.

    The only reason I hold back the last half star to this film is that some aspects of the film have dated, particularly the rushed and pat happy ending, and the over stylized aspects of the production design. If you are someone who can't see through these details to enjoy old movies, I'm not sure this will win you over. However, the Criterion collection version is pristine and crisp, both for sound and picture.

    This film could be made into a contemporary feature today, with the exacty same story, and has: Paul Mazursky's Down and Out in Beverly Hills, which is based on a French Jean Renoir film, but that film is more dark and sexual.

    My Man Godfrey will grab most viewers from beginning to end and make you laugh and care about the characters. It's a gem.
  • bottcorecords1
    March 23, 2011
    bottcorecords1
    William Powell stars as Godfrey, a "forgotten man" dragged off to a scavenger hunt party by a pair of spoiled rich girls (I guess Paris Hilton is more of a cliche than I thought). While one sister is cold, the other is caring (if somewhat flakey) and decides to hire Godfrey as t... read morehe family butler. After Godfrey surprises everyone by showing up to work looking like a professional butler, it's revealed there's more to him than meets the eye. And of course, the air-headed girl falls in love with him. The depiction of wealth is pretty typical for the 1930s time period, one reviewer described these people as the "idle rich", but it all gets a little bit one dimensional. The romance seems trumped up, even by screwball farce standards (actually, William Powell and Carole Lombard were divorced three years when they made this film, and it's hard to be romantic towards your ex, even if it is just acting), and the ending of the film, from the homeless solution to the romantic conclusion, seems tacked on. However, some of the set pieces and gags do work, and it's difficult to knock William Powell as just about everything he does has a certain charm.
  • ajv2688
    September 15, 2010
    ajv2688
    This movie has some great actors, it's sweet and funny, and the story is somewhat different, but there was just something about it that I thought could have been better, I'm not sure what, it just felt like something was missing.
  • RossCollinsUK
    July 27, 2010
    RossCollinsUK
    A P. G. Wodehouse like comedy exposing the extravagances of the roaring thirties in Manhattan. A time of great beauty & idiocy. It would be hard to imagine hearing this line today: "When his bank failed, he gave up everything so his depositors wouldn't suffer."
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    May 17, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Not my favorite screwball comedy, but definitely a cutie. Kinda reminded me of Bringing Up Baby, lots of lunatics. But I guess that's the charm. It does have one of those tricky social awareness underlying morals hidden in there. Sneaky 30s. I will have to check out the Thin Man ... read moreseries now.
  • binky013
    May 30, 2009
    binky013
    One of those rare near perfect films. The more I see of William Powell, the more I wish I could have sat down and had a beer with him. An extraordinary actor with an amazing range. He is never overstated, always choosing under the top delivery combined with perfect, subtle ges... read moretures. Even in the most comedic films of his I've seen -- the Thin Man series, for instance -- he is never overly broad.

    I hope I never live to regret this statement via further research, but I can't help but believe that Bill Powell must have been an upstanding and all-embracingly decent human being. Truly, if he was not a wonderful person, I would really rather you not disabuse me of my happy ignorance.

    The term "Everyman" might be used too much. But not by me. Powell is the epitome on screen of that proverbial -- to the point of becoming cliche -- Everyman.

    This one is an amazing love story on top of a supremely gifted acting display. And yes, it is funny.

    Mr. Powell, not only are you on my all-time favorite actor list, but with every film I discover, you are rising to the top of that very small, very revered group. I look forward to living long enough to see every single movie you've ever made.
  • moonrivers
    March 17, 2009
    moonrivers
    the ever vivacious carole lombard only seems to star in this american 30's"upstairs, downstairs" but actually she's only a stand-in, a mannequin for what hollywood powers-that-be must've thought of most of the a
    "girls-next-door", rich or poor: vapid chowderheads. her only real... read more job in this is to admire and long-for the offered smug boy-toy, william powell, who gamely is both "regular guy" hobo and erudite harvard grad, dream man. the lessons he "teaches" the upper class are made-to-order for what hollywood must've believed the lowerer classes (read: ticket buying) public really wanted to hear, which, if one watches, will have one dumbstruck at the audacious stupidity of the plan, played straight and w/o a wink. the only real sparks then in the film are hidden in the scenes between powell and the "bad girl", gail patrick (as smug as powell and blow for blow his equal, his ideal and thus, the right choice), whom he psych-crushes with some smarter-than-thou insightful pity simply because she's hip, knows she's his ever livin' ying, which leaves him bubbleheaded lombard, which powell himself doesn't seem to understand. still, a popular populist bit o'pablum that showcases the strong points of both leads.
  • jennifxu
    November 4, 2007
    jennifxu
    It had its moments, but all that insanity just left me feeling a little lost.

View All My Man Godfrey Reviews

Critic Reviews

April 24, 2009
TIME Magazine

My Man Godfrey emerges with that evasive quality that is not skillful playing, writing or direction, but something that mysteriously adds itself to these things, and makes a tip-top picture. Full Review

Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
February 6, 2009
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert, Village Voice

[A] screwball masterpiece. Full Review

Roger Ebert
February 6, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

God, but this film is beautiful. Full Review

Dave Kehr
February 6, 2009
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Gregory La Cava's improvisational style received its highest critical acclaim for this 1936 film, a marginally Marxist exercise in class confusion during the Depression. Full Review

Variety Staff
October 18, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

William Powell and Carole Lombard are pleasantly teamed in this splendidly produced comedy. Full Review

Frank S. Nugent
May 20, 2003
Frank S. Nugent, New York Times

There may be a sober moment or two in the picture; there may be a few lines of the script that do not pack a laugh. Somehow we cannot remember them. Full Review

Kevin Carr
April 18, 2012
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

There's a charm to both Powell and Lombard, making the film transcend generations. It's a cute movie that has fun with levels of wealth in society and sibling rivalry. Full Review

February 6, 2009
Film4

A brilliantly executed screwball, full of both madcap humour and bitter satire. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
September 24, 2007
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Director Gregory La Cava was a master of the sustained comedy. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 10, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Its whimsical winning nature still comes through. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Carlo: Money, money, money!
    • Angelica Bullock: What happened to Carlo?
    • Alexander Bullock: He had to leave suddenly.
    • Irene Bullock: Stand still, Godfrey. It'll all be over in a minute.
    • Alexander Bullock: Well, all you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people.
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My Man Godfrey Trivia

  • This man starred in the film My Man Godfrey and the Thin Man Series.  Answer »
  • Though they were previously married for two years, these two stars were divorced by the time they played the romantic leads in "My Man Godfrey":  Answer »
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