I'll be honest: I wasn't expecting much from this movie. I'd had a hard week and wasn't in the best space with my sweetie-pie, so I wasn't completely in the mood to watch a movie entitled Marriage on the Rocks, but popped it in nonetheless. The next morning, I went out and bought a copy. Turns out, Marriage on the Rocks is a comedy—and a hilarious one at that! Frank Sinatra and Deborah Kerr are married. I know, it seems incredibly unlikely; especially since they weren't paired up romantically in From Here to Eternity eighteen years earlier, but somehow it works! They're absolutely darling together, but they've reached a rut in their marriage. He works too much, and when he comes home, he's bombarded by family quarrels, so when Deborah wants to go out dancing all night, he doesn't have the energy.Dean Martin does, though. He plays Frankie's best friend, and he constantly teases Deborah Kerr that she married the wrong man as he joins them for dinner, boogies with her in a go-go nightclub, and picks out jewelry for Frankie to give her. Although on paper, the plot sounds like a drama, the move is chalk-full of quick gags, hilarious jokes, and situational comedy. Even the tiniest touches are funny, like hearkening back to Deborah Kerr's Scottish roots and having her mother, played by Hermione Baddeley, march around the house playing bagpipes. And when Frankie lays down the law with his teenaged daughter and refuses to let her move in with a cage dancer, it's extra cute because Nancy Sinatra plays his daughter! It's no surprise that Frank Sinatra's comic timing is superb, but who would have thought Deborah Kerr's would be, too? She's just delightful in this comedy, and since I don't usually like her, that's quite a compliment. I usually cringe whenever forced to sit through a Dean Martin movie, but if this was the first movie of his I'd seen, I wouldn't dislike him at all. Everyone in this movie is funny and adorable, and the plot hops from one hilarious, impossible situation to another.This is the perfect movie to rent with your spouse or sweetie-pie if there's trouble in paradise. It'll inspire you and give you lots to laugh about!

Plot: A man and his wife (Frank Sinatra and Deborah Kerr)accidentally divorce,and his wife accidentally marries his best friend,a confirmed life-long bachelor. (Dean Martin) Hilarity Ensues.(supposedly)This movie is 45 yrs old, and boy has it not aged well. While it LOOKS handsome on a modern TV, with elegant set design and wonderful costumes (examples:Dean Martin's stylish bachelor pad, & Deborah Kerr's gorgeous emerald cape/dress ensemble) the plot and social values in the film are creakier than Gilligan's boat. However,as my sister and I discovered, it is vastly improved with the addition of alcohol. A hilarious drinking game can be played by imbibing each time a character spouts a value that simply would NOT fly in a modern movie.Just a few examples: Frank Sinatra:"I believe a girl should stay at home until she's married."Or Deborah Kerr:"What a beautiful (Polar Bear!) rug. " Dean Martin: "It's real fur."DK: "I would expect as much from a big game hunter like you." Or Young Woman: "I can't swim." DM: "Helpless,eh? All the better." Or Young Woman:" Do you want children?" Dean Martin: (holds her hand and leers suggestively) "Try me."Or Frank Sinatra(in bed with his wife of 19 yrs,who is making the moves on him and wearing a glamorous negligee on their anniversary): "TV's off,you don't want to talk,what else is there to do in bed?" ('cos you know,people over 40 don't have a sex life)Or Dean Martin: "It's easy to tell a woman you're not going to marry her. I've done it dozens of times!" And so on.Of course these quotes may be slightly incorrect. By the end of the movie,I had played the game so many times,my faculties were more than a little impaired.I know it's largely unfair to judge the movies of old by the standards of today, but sometimes their promotion of old world values is so leaden and infuriating, it's hard not to be both amused & enraged while watching them. And unfortunately,there is simply not enough wit or style in the script or performances to make one forgive the cringe-worthy elements that haven't aged well. Deborah Kerr is the one bright spark in this uninspiring debacle. She acquits herself well despite the thin material,with a comic finesse that does more with the lacklustre script than it deserves. Frank and Dean pretty much dial in performances of the "ain't broads exasperating" variety.(A shame,as Frank demonstrated in 'The Man With the Golden Arm' he was an actor of range and subtlety).Hermoine Baddeley, so funny in 'Maude'' can do little with the battle-axe mother-in-law stereotype she's been handed.This film is a good reminder that 'the good old days' were not always so good. While the 1960s produced a plethora of 'sex comedy' films that while dated,still sparkle with panache and charm, this is not one of them.

I remember watching this movie when I was young.I have watched for it to come on again but I haven't found it yet.I thought it was very funny.It also shows people to appreciate what they have in life,not envy the other person's life. It seemed to me that the cast had fun doing this movie. There are so few movies to watch now that don't have too much graphic sex and violence that I wish more people would watch these older movies. They were extremely funny and could be viewed by the whole family. Laughter is truly the best medicine. It makes you feel good, happy, and decreases stress. I recommend it.Hey out there! Give it a chance with an open mind! You'll enjoy it!

It's hard to pinpoint just exactly what's wrong with this film. I think it's a combination of script problems and poor performance, mostly on the part of Frank Sinatra. Sinatra gave great performances in many other films but, as other reviewers pointed out, he seems to be sleep walking through this film, as if he's eager to get a take so he can leave. Nancy Sinatra is young and fresh and gives a sweet performance. Deborah Kerr does her best with what she's been given. Unfortunately, that isn't much. Dean Martin is the highlight of this film. As always, he's fun and charming, and his presence breathes into this film what little life it has. Needless to say, it suffers heavily when he's not on screen and the focus shifts to Sinatra. The plot has many problems. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense but, after all, it's just a film. I could have gone along with the plot, but the main problem is that this film's just plain boring. The basic plot goes something like this: Sinatra and Kerr have been married for 19 years. He ignores her. She complains. At Martin's urging, they go on a second honeymoon in Mexico. Once there, they get in a huge fight, and wind up with a quickie divorce. By the end of the night, both have second thoughts and decide to remarry. However, first Sinatra is called away on business and the wedding must wait until he returns. Martin is Sinatra's best friend and business partner. He leads the free-wheeling life of a swingin' bachelor, dating a bevy of girls but, mainly, his private secretary, Lola. When Sinatra's business detains him longer than expected, he decides not to fly back to Mexico to marry Kerr, who is waiting for him. Instead, he sends Martin (who professes to be an old hand at telling women he's not going to marry them) to break the news to her. In a case of mistaken identity, and before either knows what has happened, Kerr and Martin end up married (the ceremony was in Spanish). He quickly signs annulment/divorce papers, but she refuses to sign, thinking she can use Martin to make Sinatra jealous, and then he'll pay attention to her (Martin & Kerr used to date several years ago). Sinatra finds out her plans and calls her bluff, taking over Martin's pad and dating "Martin's" girls. Kerr acts as if she's mad for Martin and refuses to divorce him. Poor Martin only wants his house, life, and girl friend (whom Sinatra refuses to let him see) back. Sinatra & Kerr's poor children are stuck in between, and Martin is the only one who actually shows some responsibility towards them. Sound confusing and contrived? It is. The ending is incredibly rushed and haphazard. Sinatra & Kerr reunite, but we never get to witness their remarriage. We never get to see if Martin, who is the only one who did nothing wrong, gets his old life back. It's a very disappointing ending that leaves you flat - as this film, in general, does. If you're a fan of Martin's, you'll want to see this just because his performance is so fun, but be prepared to be bored when he's not on screen. For a better Sinatra-Martin pairing try "4 For Texas" or "Robin and the Seven Hoods".