I've fallen in love with Jean Arthur. She is funny, cute, romantic, and utterly charming in this film. Her hair and outfits are exquisite. The way she moves her body is so endearing, in everything from getting out of a car, to skipping around her apartment in madcap moments, to dancing. I love the little squeak in her voice and the fact that she was 43 when this film was made. Her reaction to being kissed on the neck on the steps outside, my god. What an incredibly steamy scene. Oh yeah, and Joel McCrea was great too. :) He plays his part with a perfect touch, drawing on the seriousness of wartime, goofing around with Charles Coburn, and unable to stop a growing attraction to Arthur, but at the same time, with a degree of understatement and reserve. He's a gentleman, but damn, those hands and his moves in that scene on the steps. Did I mention that scene? Another great one is when he gives her a fancy travel bag and then shows her all of its various features - they are both just so natural, and one feels their interest in each other simmering in their terrible nearness. He accidentally marks his nose sniffing a makeup container, and it was quite clever of director George Stevens to leave it on his face for as long as he did. I also loved when they both secretly hoped her fiancé (Richard Gaines) wouldn't call by 8 pm, so that they could go out together instead.Charles Coburn is quite a character in this film as well, impish and bold, while cleverly playing matchmaker between the two. The banter between Coburn and McCrea is as good as the banter each have with Arthur. Coburn's performance was worthy of the best supporting actor Oscar he won. Stevens has a great sense of flow, balances the comedic and romantic elements perfectly, and gives us lots of little eye candy on top of it. The wartime song at the end was a nice touch too. Highly recommended.

I guess "Gone With the Wind" set the precedent for scare tactics to lure audiences using evil guttural utterances. Pish posh, in your dreams friends. This film was a dreg.I've had many male roommates and of course this led to many romantic opportunities but as a business arrangement, I NEVER went there, and at times this was eXtremely difficult, but rules are rules. And let me tell you these gents were not of the wooden unemotional daft Joel McCrea types.I had a hard enough time with "Walk Don't Run" but I soldiered through this first installment with grit. The "Schedule" routine was tedious but gave it some slack thinking the payoff would be forthcoming. Not the case here folks. This farce is dreadful at every turn. The split screen tactic in the bedroom may have it's foundation here but guess that's where the creativity ends.Perhaps if there were more sightseeing tours of DC in the 40's it could save the day? I guess I could recommend to round out your collection of Arthur, Coburn and McCrea. But not likely.... Big Sigh!

This is a good comedy which is a period piece but works very well due to the talents of the cast. Jean Arthur is delightful in this doing the type of comedy she was born to do. Charles Coburn won a Deserved Oscar in support as Mr. Dingle who seems to have his nose into everybody's business.Joel McRea is out of the saddle here. His sequences with Jean Arthur seems to have some real spark and he seems a perfect straight man to her. George Stevens does a fine job handling the cast with support including Grady Sutton who had a much larger support role in The Bank Dick a few years earlier. This is a Columbia Picture which is very well constructed & still holds up are quite amusing.The setting is World War 2 in Washington DC with the actual housing shortage going on. This would be remade later as Walk Don't Run with Cary Grant in Colburns role in the mid 1960's. Both are good pictures though Colburn was not near the end of his career here, where Grant was near it in the later picture.

This old, wartime, mostly-forgotten-about little film is a real gem. In a genre that tends to rely on clichés and overused story lines, "The More the Merrier" clearly stands out. The acting, directing, and cinematography are all excellent. Arthur, McCrea and Coburn are all in top form and have a lot of meat to chew in this zany comedy-romance.The country is at war, and the nation's capitol is short on living space and long on eligible young ladies. Jean Arthur plays one such girl who wants to do her patriotic duty and lease half of her spacious apartment to some other young lady in need of a place to stay.That's great in theory, but when a jolly, resourceful, don't-blink-twice retired millionaire (played by Coburn) finds himself unable to secure a hotel room a couple days in advance of his reservation, Miss Milligan (Arthur) finds that he is a tough customer to dissuade. And when Dingle (Coburn) runs into a patriotic young man (McCrea) working on a secret wartime assignment and in need of a room...What follows is great comedy and an engaging romance. Arthur is absolutely radiant and spot on with her expressions and lines in what may be her best film (with many other notables including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Easy Living, and Shane to name a few). Coburn gets a wonderful part and makes the most of it, making him a joy to watch. McCrea fills in any remaining gap with another solid performance and good material to work with.Aside from the story and the actors, the cinematography, direction and a carefully planned set combines to form a couple unforgettable scenes between Arthur and McCrea. In the apartment, the two bedrooms face the outside wall and are separated by a thin, uninsulated wall. In the first remarkable scene, we experience the intimacy of these two characters as they converse through this wall, with the cleverly designed shot making it almost appear as if the two are in the same bed (quite remarkable for its time with the Production Code solidly in place).The second scene is one I will not describe, but is cleverly executed and makes for the perfect ending to this slick little film. The memory of this movie sticks in your mind, and it is a pleasant memory indeed. Seldom if ever have romantic comedies been this funny, well acted, and sweet. The More the Merrier stands on the very top rung of its genre. Highly recommended.