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Made for Each Other (1939) More at IMDbPro »

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30 comments in total

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Sugary Melodrama, 2 December 2005

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

James Stewart and Carole Lombard meet and marry on impulse while Stewart is in Boston on a case.

When they get back to New York the two of them go through a lot of the trials that newlyweds do, a seemingly unfeeling and uncomprehending boss, a bitter mother-in-law for Lombard, a new baby and then a sick toddler. I guess the fact that they get through it all is proof that they were indeed Made for Each Other.

Other reviewers have noted some similarities between It's A Wonderful Life and Penny Serenade. They are certainly there. What's not there is the screwball comedy that we remember Carole Lombard for. No laughs in this one, she plays this quite seriously and shows her versatility.

Stewart however is pure Stewart. It's as if Jefferson Smith had gone to law school instead of becoming a Boy Ranger. He's so idealistic and full of hope as he starts married life with Lombard. As he appeals to Charles Coburn for financial help to save his kid, the whole audience in the theaters must have felt along with him.

The two have some problems keeping household staff and when they find one they really like, their budget crunch forces them to let Louise Beavers go. Though it sure has some racial clichés in it, my favorite moment comes from Louise Beavers in that scene with Carole Lombard as Lombard tells her they will have to discharge her. Beavers is a woman with real heart and soul and her words of comfort to Lombard never fail to move me.

For fans of melodramatic soap opera and the two stars. Some may find Made for Each Other too saccharine, but I like it.

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11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Touching (if flawed) story of likeable young married couple., 14 March 1999
Author: (otter_c@ix.netcom.com) from Mountain View, Ca.

Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard make an incredibly appealing couple, one whose everyday middle-class joys and sorrows you like sharing. That's all there is to the movie, pretty much, Jimmy and Carole get married, have a baby, deal with in-laws, money troubles, changes in their relationship, all the things everyone does. It's the opposite of an Action Flick, here domestic sorrows like pay cuts and not having a baby sitter on New Year's Eve are treated as seriously as real people treat them, and the movie is well made enough that you care. Who couldn't care about such nice, funny, sensitive people? For much of its length, it's a better "Penny Serenade".

The place where it falls apart is the ending, which is a ludicrously inappropriate melodrama about flying medicine in from thousands of miles away in a storm, it just doesn't belong in the same movie. But, I like the story behind it: Like a character in the movie, producer David Selznick's brother Myron (a power agent) was taken seriously ill, and was basically given up for dead. A doctor said that the only thing that could save him was a rare/experimental drug that wasn't available in LA, it had to be flown in from the east coast in terrible weather. The Selznick family sweated for hours, trying to keep in touch with a heroic pilot who was risking his life to save a stranger. When the pilot landed safely and Myron was saved, David Selznick the workaholic producer said "This it too good to waste on Myron. Let's put it in a picture!" I just wish he'd waited for a better place to use it.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
strange story structure, 15 January 2003
Author: rsyung from United States

I have to agree with other reviews as to the strange mix of genres and bizarre lack of conventional story structure. Normally, in the traditional three-act structure, the basic dilemma is set up in the first act, but in this film, the story just sort of segues gradually into the marriage and then one personal crisis after another, culminating in the illness of the child. In spite of all its shortcomings, Lombard's warmth and vulnerability shine through. I thought Stewart's gradual descent into desperation and self-recrimination strangely prefigured George Bailey in `It's A Wonderful Life.'

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A real "mixed bag", 24 January 2007

Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This film concerns newlyweds, Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard and their attempt to have a successful and happy life together. The problem is that repeatedly, Stewart's character is so weak and ineffectual that the family is always struggling to make ends meet (though they had a cook through much of the film, so they couldn't be THAT bad off). In addition, because of his and his wife's weakness, the marriage was often damaged by Stewart's obnoxious and demanding mother (played by Lucille Watson, who made a career out of playing obnoxious old ladies)--who they allowed to live with them despite her being a very unpleasant person. As far as his job went, Stewart was a young lawyer who seemed to allow his job to run his life and offered him little consideration in return.

The acting through all of these ups and downs was terrific and the film rather engaging. And you know that when a movie stars Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard, it must be a pretty good film. Well, this is a very entertaining film, but somehow I can't help but think it could have been a bit better. In other words, instead of a better than average film, the movie COULD have risen above this but was hampered by two major problems--Stewart's character was too weak and annoying through much of the film and occasionally this soapy film got so melodramatic that it seemed hard to believe. Towards the end, when their baby got deathly ill, it was at times very touching and well-done--particularly when Lombard cried as well as the scene where Watson apologized and talked about why she was a nasty old crank. But, at others, it seemed pretty heavy-handed and schmaltzy.

All in all, a mixed bag but still entertaining and worth seeing if you are a fan of classic Hollywood films.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A disjointed tearjerker - uneven, maudlin and overall not up to snuff for Stewart and Lombard, 15 June 2005

Author: Nick Zegarac (movieman-200) from Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"Made for Each Other" stars resident scatterbrain, Carole Lombard and congenial James Stewart as Jane and John Mason, a couple on a whirlwind romance to nowhere. John works for a curmudgeon judge, Joseph Doolittle (Charles Coburn), a professional alliance that is at odds with the effervescence of his newlywed life. A greater hurdle to overcome is Jane's live in mother, Harriet (Lucile Watson) who intrudes upon the couple's idyllic domestic paradise with all the tact and humility of the proverbial bull in a china shop. By the time New Year's Eve rolls around the edges of martial Shangra-la have become so frayed that both John and Jane contemplate the longevity of a future together. Their sudden realization that their marriage may be over, which takes place amidst the gaiety of romantic couples celebrating the New Year, reaches a level of heartbreaking poignancy that, alas, the rest of the story lacks. Financial stresses brought on by a change at work eventually culminated with a devastating illness that may claim the life of John and Jane's infant.

Director John Cromwell spins a cinematic tapestry of lives that are the embodiment of those proverbial ups and downs we all encounter in life – at least during the first two acts of his story. Cromwell's sprite and accessible direction allows even the sensitive charm and poignancy of secondary characters their chance to shine. Unfortunately for all concerned, the last act of this story is maudlin melodrama and an insane layering of cliché that drives the story into a downward lack of restraint. Though the effervescent triumph of the human spirit is never far from Cromwell's vision for the film, it's ultimately that old fashioned sentiment that salvages the whole affair from becoming overly sweet or dire.

MGM's DVD is impressive. The B&W picture exhibits a very nicely balanced gray scale with smooth, solid blacks and very clean whites. Age related artifacts are present throughout but do not distract. Some minor edge enhancement crops up and there is more than a hint of pixelization in infrequent spots but overall the picture will surely not disappoint. The audio is mono but more than adequate for a film of this vintage. There are no extras.

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10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Stewart or Lombard, Not Made For Each Other, 3 October 2004

Author: jcholguin (jcholguin@lycos.com) from los angeles

James Stewart plays Johnny Mason, lawyer. Carole Lombard is Jane Mason, wife. Lucile Watson the mother-in-law Harriet Mason. Johnny sees Jane and quickly marries her. Mother is disappointed. Mother lives with them. Many troubles are ahead. Jane can't cook. Can't set the table. Can't do many things according to mother. The interaction between daughter-in-law and mother are the highlights of this film. Stewart and Lombard are married but just don't have any real magic on screen. Stewart is Stewart. He is good as a timid husband and son but this doesn't carry the film. Can baby Mason build bridges between Jane and Harriet? A believable film for those that are married.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Bargain basement movie, 9 October 2004

Author: Jacquline from Heart of England

When I bought 4 DVDs for £5.oo in a local shop it should have been warning enough that this movie was not up to the usual standard of David Selznick Productions. With a cast containing such names as James Stewart and Carole Lombard I was looking forward to a real treat. As many other commentators have said it is an odd mixture of plot and scenes that doesn't quite convince. HOWEVER, I am so glad that I did view this film as I now have the memorable saying 'Never let the seeds stop you from enjoying the watermelon.' to live by. This should sum up everyone's life. Pick out those seeds or spit them out or swallow them - and then enjoy the watermelon - life itself.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
All in all, a pretty entertaining film, 14 August 2008

Author: Keely_morris1 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Made for Each Other is a very entertaining film if one does not expect too much. As other reviewers have noted, perhaps it is only for die-hard fans of James Stewart and Carole Lombard, and as I am a huge fan of both, perhaps that is why I enjoyed it.

The plot surrounds John and Jane Mason who get married only after knowing each other for a short time. Their relationship grows cumbersome when John's disapproving mother moves into the household as well as a new baby. To add to their stresses is John's job, which leaves the Masons in poor financial straits. In a melodramatic, rather ridiculous ending, the baby is hopelessly ill and without the help of some serum, is not expected to live. In true Hollywood fashion, the serum is delivered and John and Jane are happy again.

Made for Each Other was produced by David O. Selznick and one wonders, with his meticulous nature of scrutinizing his productions, if he was too busy prodding the crew on Gone With the Wind to take notice on anything that was going on the set for this film. However, IMDb trivia states that Selznick included the cheeky ending as an homage to his brother who apparently had the same situation as baby. Nevertheless, without the ending, this film is charming. James Stewart and Carole Lombard play their parts to perfection. Lombard, especially, demonstrates her versatility in this film. However, one wonders if Stewart and Lombard knew how hopeless and unrealistic this ending was when they were filming it. It's hard to believe that they didn't, but perhaps they thought that they would be able to carry it through. Unfortunately, even with the presence of two luminescent stars, this ending falls short. Had Selznick and his writers left the ending to John and Jane solving their marital troubles in the same accord as the rest of the film, Made for Each Other would have been far better.

Nonetheless, for any fan of Lombard or Stewart, this is a film definitely worth seeing. It showcases both in their prime and if you disregard the slaughterhouse of an ending, is thoroughly enjoyable.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Tries soooo hard to do too many things..., 7 November 2004
Author: carole-lombard from Texas

Lombard was tired of doing screwball comedies, and still had her eye on the Selznick ultimate prize, Scarlett O'Hara - but she had to prove she could handle dramatic parts, to herself and to the public. This film is low-key, charming in its own way, but rather schizophrenic in plot. James Stewart is a convincingly earnest young husband and fledgling attorney who meets and marries the Lombard character in a whirlwind romance, before the couple comes crashing back to earth with a loud thud. Baby soon makes three, and Mother-in-Law makes an uncomfortable four -- in a tiny apartment, with an even tinier household budget.

The plot peculiarities begin on a New Year's Eve -- although in the midst of a huge party, Jane and Johnny don't feel much like celebrating. They argue all the time, and can't really remember what they loved about each other to begin with. Then their baby gets desperately ill, and the plot appears to belong in a different movie. After some pretty dramatic twists, the movie returns to its original focus and becomes relatively normal again.

All in all, a fairly entertaining domestic soaper, until the Plot Twist from Mars rears its alien head. You'll be making faces at the screen, saying to yourself, "Hunhhhh?????"

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7 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
only for diehard Lombard and Stewart fans, 26 February 2002

Author: Claude Cat from United States

Carole Lombard and James Stewart gamely try to inject some life and meaning into this bizarrely constructed film about the tribulations of a newlywed couple. The scenes play as if they were parceled out among various directors, each with a different goal. Some are Capra-cute, some screwball, some melodramatic, and some surprisingly noir. There's even an extended adventure sequence, when the plot suddenly focuses on a small plane flying through a blizzard. It's hard to say which scenes are the most incongruous, when the film as a whole is so erratic in tone, and the storyline not exactly believable. Only worth watching for film students or fans of the actors--some smaller parts, such as Judge Doolittle and the intrepid pilot, are also very well played.

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