Rating: 
Summary: Screwball Classic
Review: Carole Lombard received her only Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her role as madcap heiress Irene Bullock. Lombard runs into Godfrey (William Powell) at the city dump looking for a forgotten man to help her win a society scavenger hunt. In appreciation for his help in winning the hunt, Lombard convinces Powell to join her family's household as the family butler. Unknown to Lombard, Powell isn't as down on his luck as she assumed. Powell, on the other hand, couldn't have landed with a nuttier bunch. Lombard's older sister Cornelia (the delightfully evil Gail Patrick) is determined to find out Godfrey's secret even if it means ruining his reputation. Godfrey is such a good butler and a decent chap to boot, that Irene can't help herself from falling in love with him. Godfrey still smarting from a past romance gone sour ignores Irene's advances. Instead of turning her away, her feelings for him only increase. Gregory La Cava ably directed this film and set the standard for the screwball comedy genre. The performances of Lombard and Powell are perfect, as are those of the supporting cast, including Alice Brady as the more than slightly daft Bullock family matriarch, Eugene Paulette as the exasperated father (a role he would practically trademark in future comedies), and Jean Dixon as the sharp-tongued maid Molly. A wonderful comedy featuring classic performances by screen legends Lombard and Powell.
Rating: 
Summary: WEAK LOOKING PRINT AN IMPROVEMENT!
Review: Considering how truly awful this movie has looked in the past, Criterion's edition of "My Man Godfrey" must be commended for its ressurection of an almost dead cinematic masterpiece. William Powell stars as Godfrey - a bum and forgotten man transformed at the insistance of a madcap heiress (Carole Lombard) into the perfect penguine - her smart-witted butler!
Previously issued, bootlegged VHS tapes, as well as late night viewings of this movie on television have been painful to watch. Criterion's restoration efforts are a subtle step in the right direction. However, I would be interested in learning how much more can be done with the original film elements.
For the record, "My Man Godfrey" still exhibits a soft picture with low contrast levels and an excessive amount of film grain. Blacks and shadow levels are very weak and there are certain scenes where the gray scale is reduced to either pure black or white visual representation, with an understandable loss of fine detail and over all image clarity. Still, the many rips, chips, tears and water damage, that one was used to seeing before, have all been tempered or all-together eliminated from this print. Many scenes on this transfer exhibit image quality that is quite satisfactory. The audio on this disc is mono but nicely restored. There are several glaring examples of pops and crackles that can be heard, as well as a persistant strident characteristic throughout. But believe me when I say that "My Man Godfrey" - save its premiere, has never looked or sounded better for the home video market.
EXTRAS: Criterion can't convince me of their hefty price tag for a petty audio commentary and inclusion of the Lux Radio Broadcast of this movie included herein. If the price of this disc dropped to around the twenty dollar level I'd be recommending it wholly for your consumption. As it stands, only a die hard fan of this legendary screwball comedy would invest in this disc - there's still much restoration work that needs to be done and the extras, quite frankly, are not worth the price!
Rating:
Summary: A gem and a joy.
Review: Everyone agrees that Carole Lombard and William Powell are wonderful in this movie. Lombard ridicules upper-class frivolousness in her portrait of Irene, as do the rest of the people who play the Bullock family. Lombard also manages to be charming and entrancingly beautiful in this movie. You'll laugh at her antics and fall in love with her at the same time. William Powell is the picture of genuine elegance and charm as the "forgotten man," or tramp discovered by the ditsy Irene and the calculating Cornelia on a scavenger hunt, and asked by the smitten Irene to be their butler. My Man Godfrey is simply riotous. Its the most fun, most funny screwball comedy i've seen - and surely one of the best pictures of all time. And how can you go wrong with Criterion packaging. This is one you won't regret buying, b.c you'll want to watch it so often!
Rating:
Summary: Powell and Lombard at their best!
Review: Wow! This movie is better than all the Thin Man movies put together. It's a classic comedy...you'll laugh out loud at this one! Carole Lombard steals the show as the forlorn girl who falls for the new "forgotten man" turned butler Godfrey [William Powell]. They have great screen chemistry! I'd consider this the quintessence of a 1930s film. Galmourous women in beautiful gowns by Travis Banton, art deco settings, and about a rich, upper class wealthy family of eccentrics. Criterion did an excellent job restoring the film, the settings really are fabulous! The screenplay is just classic. This is what comes to mind when one hears the words "classic movie". Beware, though, after seeing this movie, you'll fall in love with Godfrey, too!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Hollywood
Review: William Powell is down on his luck. A "forgotten man" in the '30s, what we'd call a homeless man today.
He then has the good luck and bad fortune to be rescued, in a zany scavenger hunt, by the even zanier family of the truly zany Carole Lombard. From forgotten man to manservant to man about town, all in 90 unforgettably funny -- and touching -- minutes.
William Powell has never been more charming, and Carole Lombard has never been so desirable. In addition to the lively script and great acting, wait until you see the Art Deco sets. Pure eye candy, even in black & white. And about that black & white picture -- Criterion must have spent a small fortune restoring this movie. The picture looks better than it has in two generations. This is as fine a print as any moviegoer saw when the film was first released. My old cheapie DVD copy was so washed out that some scenes were almost unwatchable. The sound is plain old mono, but it's much more crisp than before, and totally lacking in all the scratch and hiss. A perfect movie, perfectly reproduced.
Rating:
Summary: The Gold Standard for DVDs
Review: My Man Godfrey, for me, represents all that's admirable about the DVD format. Visually, it sparkles, literally so in the opening credits. My 15-year-old VHS copy is good, but pales next to the DVD transfer. The inclusion of a vintage trailer from so old a movie was a welcome surprise. The newsreel footage gave historical context. The radio broadcast was icing, just lain fun. The commentary is urbane and inciteful. Yes, I listened to it all. A word of advice about commentaries: Self-described historians do the best. Their commentaries are like fine classroom lectures on your favorite subject. Directors seem to ad lib haltingly, as if they'd rather be somewhere else but can't pass up the dough. If picking a movie for it's commentary, make sure the director is dead. That goes for actors and crew also.
Rating:
Summary: If you like old movies this is one of the best
Review: I have a DVD copy from a Canadian company Cascadia and its excellent video and audio and is perfect except for one scene which is repeated twice in an editing loop- oh well- otherwise its perfect. Great supporting cast.
Rating: 
Summary: MISSING A SCENE!!
Review: Do not buy this DVD! I am very familiar with this movie as I own a VHS copy, so I immediately noticed the missing scene. If you know the movie, it is the scene when Irene goes to Godfrey's room and he lectures her on certain "proprieties" and she becomes hysterical and tells him "You'll be sorry!" This is a great screwball comedy, a must see for classic movie fans and it is a disgrace that this company released the movie so carelessly.
Rating:
Summary: A lousy DVD copy of a FANTASTIC movie
Review: I was so disappointed in the DVD! A scene is missing, hence some retarded editing. The look itself is pretty bad--the whites are almost blinding in a couple of scenes. Aside from really bad cropping (missing heads) the worst is the horrible sound. The sound is no better and perhaps worse than the VHS copy. Thankfully I got a good price on this DVD--thanks Amazon for putting it on sale because I would be really irritated had I paid full price for it. Advice to potential buyers: get this cheap if you get it at all because you will be disappointed in the quality.
Rating:
Summary: Gets better with every changing era
Review: I first saw this movie as a teenager on late night reruns on TV. I later saw it on the PBS series, "Movies Worth Taping." I sought it out when video tapes came of age to show my preteen son. He (now in college) recently asked that I purchase it to add to our home library of films in case it goes out of print. He wanted it available to show to his friends, & eventually children. This comedy has such an impact on one's soul that it deserves a viewing in every family & discussing afterwards.
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