This is a bit of an odd film. Although the wonderful Lionel Barrymore is the star here, he doesn't show up in the early minutes of the film at all. I thought -- what kind of film is this. It starts off so frivolously. But that is exactly what makes it an ultimately strong film.You might say that the theme of the film is that a family member can be hiding a terrible secret that could destroy him. Meanwhile, not knowing of the tragedy facing the family member, the rest of the family goes on with their lives, seriously bemoaning comparatively frivolous problems. It isn't that they're being selfish...just oblivious.Here, Lionel Barrymore (the father) is the family member in crisis -- about to be accused of embezzlement for something that was not his fault (although he knew of the indiscretion). His wife is abuzz with her sudden success as an author and screenwriter, and the young adult kids are wrapped up in fraternities and possible elopements.It's quite good, but the problem with this film is that the film comes to its high point and things are all resolved way to quickly. Why? Well, this film was made in the days of double features, so a film like this came in at under 80 minutes, where extending it to just another 10-15 minutes -- 90 minutes -- would have allowed for a tremendous improvement of the conclusion of the film. Instead, we see the buildup to crisis that seems to suddenly descend into an all too common "they all lived happily ever" after scenario that seems very weak.I almost always find Lionel Barrymore to be a very interesting actor, and I did again here. This was the wonderful Fay Bainter's first film role, and, as always, she's a gem. While the remainder of the cast are supporting actors who do their job, no one stands out, perhaps because the characters are not developed sufficiently. Perhaps the primary supporting actor was the young Tom Brown, who does fairly well as the son in this very old-fashioned film. Una Merkel is rather wasted in this film.Despite these criticisms, this film is worth watching because of its two stars -- Barrymore and Bainter -- a classic pairing. And, this is that unusual early film that dealt with attempted suicide. Maybe with the limitations of 1934, it's pretty decent.

Lionel Barrymore often drives me nuts--the same gestures and vocal inflections, playing so many similar roles so similarly. But in this little MGM soap opera, playing a good family man caught up in a potentially devastating financial crisis at work (it's almost like a warmup for "It's a Wonderful Life," with him as George instead of Potter), he's quiet and unhammy and very moving. He's well supported by a similarly restrained Fay Bainter as his wife, and the whole family is convincing--Mae Clarke as the sensible daughter, Tom Powers as the status-conscious son, Una Merkel as the gossipy maid. No surprises, and the plot is resolved by a deus ex machina one doesn't believe for a minute, but it's a simple story well told. And it shows how good Lionel could be when he held back; he's just as good the following year in "Ah, Wilderness!", in a not-that-different part.

Fay Bainter was always a favourite aunt or the nicest neighbour on the block, the older person who is always a hit with the youngsters (ie "Babes on Broadway") and when, in her first film "This Side of Heaven", she played a lovely up to date mother she was just about perfect. Even though she was in her forties she had been on the stage since her childhood. Her complete naturalness and lack of artifice made her performances standout and she sometimes overshadowed the main performers (Katharine Hepburn in "Quality Street"). She had already made "This Side of Heaven" when she opened on Broadway in "Dodsworth" and she wasn't really impressed with movies but, fortunately, she gave them another try.This is the sort of "feel good" movie I really like. It is a lonely dinner for Martin Turner (Lionel Barrymore), the rest of the family seems to have previous engagements - Seth (Tom Brown) is trying his best to get accepted into his college fraternity (Edward Norris and Mickey Daniels) through bragging and big noting himself. Younger and very modern daughter Peggy (gorgeous Mary Carlisle) is determined to assert her independence after seeing "Another Language" at the cinema - while driving to college she and her nervous boyfriend (Henry Wadsworth) almost end up as Mr. and Mrs.!!! Jane (Mae Clarke) can't decide between stuffy dependable Walter (Onslow Stevens) and head in the clouds Vance (Eddie Nugent, whatever happened to him??) - I wonder who will win?? Oh, and mother Francene (Fay Bainter) has just sold the novel she has been writing ("The Family") to a Hollywood studio.Martin has a lot on his mind - he has been made an innocent dupe in his manager's (Edwin Maxwell, who else!!) $40,000 embezzlement of company funds. The auditors are in, the manager has absconded leaving Martin, as co-signer of the cheque, to bear the blame alone. And Walter has so little faith in him that he is organising for Martin to leave the country to lessen the family's shame. Martin cannot bear to spoil Francene's happiness - she has come home with a Hollywood contract and brimming with enthusiasm. In fact everybody is so involved in their own little lives that they can't see anything wrong with Martin's behaviour. Francene can but she thinks his nervousness is due to the separation they will face when she goes to Hollywood for a few weeks. Of course the next day everything comes unstuck but once Francene realises the enormity of the situation she behaves like a typical MGM mother of the mid to late 30s, stoical but caring and loving.Lionel Barrymore put his stamp on these kind of roles - the sensible, wise parent that everyone looks up to. He really comes into his own during the last half. He has decided the best way for his family to deal with the shame is for him to end it all. He does take pills but suddenly the police are at the door - it seems his son has been involved in a car accident, driving home from college upset by the fact that he hadn't made the Fraternity. Groggily Martin rushes to the hospital, Seth is okay but now it is touch and go whether Martin will make it - now he realises how much his family need and depend on his support.The cast seems to have a lot of chemistry - Seth and his dad especially, kidding about hats, the hospital scene and different issues that arose in those lovely innocent days. Not forgetting Una Merkel as the laconic cook Birdie - "Have you seen my ice pick" - wow, she did everything the studio threw at her and did it excellently. Even little Dickie Moore has a cute bit as a little boy kept in after class " that was the apple I gave the teacher, I fished it out of the gutter"!! Mary Carlisle proved she was more than just a pretty face with her portrayal of the very modern Peggy, who is determined to be a new woman. Big things had been expected for Mae Clarke once, her friend Barbara Stanwyck had a lot of faith in her talent but after 1934 most of her work was to be found in programmers. MGM may have remembered Barrymore's performance in films like this when they were casting "A Family Affair" which was the debut of the Hardy family. Unfortunately when the series finally got under way, Barrymore had had a serious accident and Lewis Stone inherited his role.

I've got to tell you that this is a film that you'll either love or hate. If you are looking for realism, this movie is NOT a good bet for you. The way the plot works out in the end is ridiculously impossible...but, it's also grandly entertaining and worth seeing--particularly if you are a softy for a good old fashioned melodrama.The story begins with Fay Bainter being offered a lucrative contract with Hollywood to work as a screenwriter, as the studio executives love her recent book about a fictionalized family...that actually was based on her own. This idyllic family, however, is not so idyllic after all as you soon see. The husband (Lionel Barrymore) has been duped by an evil business partner and, as a result, could be arrested for embezzlement. The daughters are both involved with men and both seem to be going in the wrong direction. And the son is brash and a bit obnoxious--and heading for a fall at college. All these stories converge for a truly exciting ending--one that, while contrived, is dynamite. Exciting, extremely well acted and entertaining, I'd recommend this just for Barrymore's fine performance but there's so much more to this worth seeing.By the way, look for a small but interesting scene about an obviously gay decorator. Up to the time when the Production Code was updated and enforced in 1934, such over the top characters were relatively common in films. While not the most complimentary portrayal, starting soon after "This Side of Heaven", gay characters would disappear in films for the next few decades.