I think that in this film present invisible conflict between the director and screenwriter. THE PALM BEACH STORY, despite the genre definition, thematically is very superficial film. This my statement is not confined to questions of marriage and divorce. A sort of comical mess. Very good acting could not be in such a relationship to come to the fore.The relationship between the character's flighty, irrational and vague. Pretty good dialogues bring us a slight sense of satire and the ones somewhat rescue story. Several exciting and comic scenes in a fairly "straight story" is not enough. The place is incredibly poorly done. I can not say that this film is a failure. It is simply not accurate, being forced into it, and as a result the event is not specially funny.Claudette Colbert as Geraldine "Gerry" Jeffers is the wife who her husband wants all the best. She leaves him and in good faith goes in search of a rich man. Colbert tried to get the most out of their roles. She is beautiful and charming. That's quite succeeded. But that is not enough. Joel McCrea as Tom Jeffers (alias "Captain McGlue") is a man who "runs" for his wife. Joel looks puzzled and indifferent. Mary Astor as The Princess Centimillia (Maud) and Rudy Vallée as John D. Hackensacker III in the roles of millionaires have a great time.Simply, I was not thrilled. From Sturges I expected a lot more creativity and spirit.

An inventor (Joel McCrea) needs cash to develop his big idea. His wife (Claudette Colbert), who loves him, decides to raise it for him by divorcing him and marrying a millionaire.One of the more interesting things about this film is the trouble it had getting made thanks to the censorship office. Although there is no explicit sexuality or foul language, it does have some questionable themes. There is talk of prostitution, and apparently the censors did not like the way marriage and divorce were handled so lightly. Even after the necessary cuts, this remains a strong central part of the plot and humor.Interestingly, the Bill Hader interview on the Criterion disc adds a lot. You might not think of Hader as a film historian or critic, and maybe he is not. But he really understands Sturges and how Sturges wrote his scripts. He connects the dots between Sturges and the Coen brothers, as well as explaining how each character, no matter how minor, is important to the story.

In New York, Gerry (Claudette Colbert) and Tom Jeffers (Joel McCrea) are about to be evicted from their apartment for lack of payment after five years of marriage. Tom is an architect and has developed the design of a suspended airport, but can not find an investor and is completely bankrupted. When the aspirant tenant meets Gerry, he tells that he is a wealthy businessman from Texas that became rich with his sausage business and he gives US$ 700 to Gerry to pay her debts and start a new life. Tom does not believe that the old man gave the money to Gerry without sex and they have an argument, and Gerry concludes that she is a burden in the life of Tom. On the next morning, she decides to travel to Palm Beach to get a divorce, and marry again with a millionaire to help Tom in his project. She boards a train to Palm Beach, where she is helped by J.D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee). They leave the train and she learns that Hackensacker is one of the richest men in the world. They travel to Palm Beach in his yacht and Gerry meets his sister, Princess Centimillia (Mary Astor). But Tom has followed Gerry and she introduces him as if he were her brother. Soon Hackensacker falls in love with Gerry and the Princess with Tom. But a zipper and twins help to solve the situation. "The Palm Beach Story" is a cynical and unethical but dated screwball comedy by Preston Sturges. I do not like this movie since Gerry Jeffers is a nasty woman and never a companion to Tom, who is a sucker; therefore I do not feel empathy for the ambitious character performed by Claudette Colbert. My vote is five. Title (Brazil): "Mulher de Verdade" ("True Woman")

The opening credits were rather confusing, showing little bits of the story, like a lady tied up in a closet. The movie had some rather dramatic characters and also held a lot of qualities of a silent film, with the big over exaggerated facial expressions and hand gestures. The music was also very similar to that of a silent film. The journey the lead woman goes on to help her poor husband is incredible. The train scene was definitely my favorite. The passion between the Gerry and her husband as they try to face getting a divorce and the money for her husbands airport project is nothing short of modern, with a few classic touches.