Rating: 
Summary: "He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids."
Review: When I see a film based on a novel, I like to read the novel to compare plots and execution. Most of the time the novel or story is fuller than the movie due to the short media time and the target audience. In this case the novel does have a better-developed plot and is more cohesive. The characters are more true to form and there is a real Rosewood/Rosebrien. However the book characters are more sinister and Dorothy is sleazy.
The film on the other hand, was modified to give a lighter approach. William Powell & Myrna Loy have a magic that brings the story to life even when they repeat the same words as in the book. However one of my favorite lines was the drunk that says "Which knee can I touch it?" This is the film that I will think of as the real "Thin Man" and Maureen O'Sullivan as this Dorothy is concerned about her father. Speaking about that, what is the Sullivan act?
Rating:
Summary: INSPIRED CHEMISTRY: NICK AND NORA CHARLES.
Review: A delightfully superb film with sharp dialogue, tricky situations (with surprise twists) plus the joyful hedonism displayed by the charismatic team of Loy and Powell playing the fabled Nick and Nora Charles! This incredibly enduring and thoroughly entertaining film was shot in an astonishing 12 days by "one take Woody" Van Dyke & the movie moves smoothly and fluidly, with Nick and Nora alternating good times on the town with some of the sharpest, freshest detective work on the screen. This film established Powell and Loy as one of the leading screen teams. It established Loy in the public mind as "the perfect wife" and presented Bill Powell as the archetype of the jaunty, polished, humourously sharp-witted and free-wheeling detective, evisioned by author Dashiell Hammett. Nick and Nora Charles were a devoted couple in the modern sophisticated style, loving each other in spite of their respective faults, seeking occasions for humour and fun wherever they went, turning the solving even of murder mysteries into a wry, enchanting game of wits...with each other AND the murderer!! They knew how to laugh at and with each other interchangeably, and they put into their roles a human, fresh, multi-dimensional quality that had not been seen on the screen priorly; they were stamped as screen originals who have, in my humble opinion, never been duplicated to this day.
Rating:
Summary: SECOND funniest movie ever!
Review: His Girl Friday is the first, if you were wondering. The Thin Man is right up there, though. The thing is, though, this is everything a movie is supposed to be. Sharp, witty, sad, mysterious, funny, they're all here. Dialogue, action, stupid pet tricks. Check. Everyone's on the bus, lets roll. Nick is a detective. Nora is his wife. They solve crimes. I know it doesn't sound funny, but when they're delivering lines like "I read you were shot twice in the tabloids" "That's ridiculous...he didn't get anywhere near my tabloids." you get the same bubbly feeling as from the champagne Nick and Nora down. Nick and Nora both enjoy a nip now and then. You know what's great? It's not portrayed as being pathetic or sad. They drink. They don't beat each other or pass out behind the wheel. They just drink. That probably wouldn't happen today. It would be irresponsible or something. Speaking of things that would never happen today - dialogue: Nora
Pretty girl.
Nick
If you like 'em like that.
Nora
(grinning at him)
You got types?
Nick
Only you, darling... lanky brunettes with wicked jaws.
Nora
Who is she?
Nick
I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you. Dorothy is really my daughter. You see, it was Spring in Venice, and I was so young. I didn't know what I was doing. We were all like that on my father's side.
Nora
By the way, how is your father's side?
Nick
Much better, thanks. Now, compare that with say...The Mexican, or America's Sweethearts. Not that there's anything wrong with those movies, the writing of today just doesn't compare with The Thin Man, The Big Sleep, or His Girl Friday. The DVD edition offers...eh. There is no DVD edition. You would think that a franchise series like The Thin Man would be one of the first to get the DVD treatment. Oh, well. I'll always have VHS to keep me company.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite movie of all time
Review: The Thin Man is, by far, one of the greatest movies ever. Though released in 1934, this movie does not age a bit. It's eccentric characters and great plot bring sheer joy to the screen, as do Powell and Loy who are terrific(as usual). If you have never watched this film -- WATCH IT! You will love it.
Rating:
Summary: Superlatives Are Not Enough
Review: According to MGM lore, whenever studio heads wanted to make some surefire money they simply teamed dapper William Powell and dashing Mryna Loy, and their chemistry was always a box office success. That famous chemistry, which mixes the pair's genuine affection for each other with their own complimentary styles of humor, was never better seen than in this, the first installment of the famous "Thin Man" series. At the time of its release, THE THIN MAN was considered revolutionary, for it presented a fast-living man who lived off his heiress-wife's income and a sharp-witted wife who clearly enjoyed matching him drink for drink and wit for wit in a completely egalitarian relationship. Changing times have dimmed this aspect of the film, and such then-sophisticated characters have become a commonplace on the screen--but nothing can dim the potency of Powell and Loy as a screen couple or this movie's razor-sharp script. It remains one of the finest films of that or any other decade. Based on the popular novel, which it follows closely, THE THIN MAN is a tough private-eye mystery concerning a missing inventor who may or may not also be a killer, and the action begins when celebrated detective Nick Charles (Powell) is hauled out of his barroom retirement by wife Nora (Loy) to investigate the case. The story is gritty and presented in dark tones that foreshadow the film noir movement of the 1940s and 1950s; at the same time, Powell and Loy play their roles with an extremely light touch, tossing off barbed lines as freely as they toss down potent drinks. The result is a truly astonishing mixture of fast-paced 1930s crime drama and screwball comedy, hard-hitting yet frequently hilarious, a completely one-of-a-kind motion picture quite unlike any before or after. The astonishingly gifted cast--which includes Maureen O'Sullivan, Mina Gombell, Cesar Romero, and Porter Hall--works as an ensemble, with each performer ideally placed and shown to the best possible advantage under director Van Dyke's lightening pace. The cinematography by James Wong Howe is remarkable with its crisp black and white, a revelation of the photographer's art, and the glossy production values are MGM's best and add greatly to the film's style, which combines uptown glamor and downtown roughness. And that famous Powell/Loy chemistry adds a sharp sparkle that quickly draws the viewer into a world where street thugs mix freely with high society and the cloak of respectability merely masks human ugliness. Of all the films I have seen over the course of my life, THE THIN MAN is probably my personal favorite. The film is truly inexhaustible, and I return to it again and again, not only to delight in its charms but hoping some of its sophistication will rub off on me. No matter how often I see it, THE THIN MAN remains fresh, funny, and fascinating. A must have, a must own, and a must watch often.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful mystery/comedy
Review: Powell is dashing, brilliant, and sophisticated, and Loy is beautiful, glamorous, and sophisticated, and together they are an ideal movie couple. They're rich, they're in love, they're funny, and they solve mysteries even while tipsy. The movie isn't hard-edged, like the novel, but is a screwball comedy and light as a feather. You almost don't care whodunit, but you'll find that out in the end, too. The movie is a little dated only because it was so successfully revolutionary in showing upper-class smoothies that were married and in love (and friends, too). Also, they engaged in the excesses of the rich without guilt (or even bad hangovers). The movie is a classic that is still fresh, it's great fun, and if you haven't seen it before or read the book, it's quite a challenge to figure out who and what happened before the brilliant sleuth explains it all. The sequels don't live up to the first one, but some of them are entertaining, too.
Rating:
Summary: "What is that man doing in my drawers?"
Review: This classic detective film also qualifies as a classic comedy. The slick repartee between Nick and Nora Charles is the stuff of screen legend. A good example of the irreverent humor is the hilarious Christmas Eve party. The ribald revelry of the guests is a biting contrast to the heavy-duty sentiment of more traditional Christmas movies (e.g., "It's A Wonderful Life") that get misty-eyed over Christmas Eve, home and family, etc. As every true fan knows, the mystery story plot is a mere excuse for all the fun. Nick (William Powell) is witty and sophisticated, but stays in touch with his working class roots. He is an iron fist in a velvet glove. Nora (Myrna Loy) has the chutzpah to keep pace, and even exceed, Nick's grit and razor-sharp wit. Theirs is a true marriage of equals. One of the themes of the series is that marriage can be fun. Contrast that with the old ball-and-chain cliche and pass the traditional values, please. Nora has more snappy comebacks than Groucho and Chico. When the cops find an illegal gun in the Charles' hotel suite, they ask Nick if he has heard of the Sullivan Law. Nora pipes up and says, "Oh, its all right. We're married!" As a heavy-handed policeman goes through their dresser, she asks, "What is that man doing in my drawers?" By this point, the viewer has forgotten there is a genuine murder mystery in progress. The film is as fresh and vibrant today as it was 70 years ago. Multiple viewing only increases the enjoyment of rapier wit and suberb timing. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Charming, Witty, and Vastly Entertaining Comedy-Mystery
Review: "The Thin man" is the first in a series of highly successful films portraying Dashiell Hammett's most amusing detective duo, Nick and Nora Charles; and their dog, Asta. William Powell plays Nick Charles, a semi retired detective who finds enjoyment out of drinking and trying to out wit his wife, Nora, played splendedly by Myrna Loy. Nick is committed, as he is in all the "Thin Man" movies, to retirement from the detective business. However, something always comes up, and he is dragged back in. Nora is committed to keeping her wayward husband in the crime business, if only so that she might get in on the fun of solving the mystery herself. And, as in all the "Thin Man" movies, there is more comedy than drama. In "The Thin Man", a business man mysteriously disappears, and is not heard from again, except by way of phone by his business associate. This man is dubbed "The Thin Man", which is where the genesis of the title is derived. Many people still believe the title refers to Nick Charles himself, but not so. The thin man's daughter becomes worried, knowing it is uncharacteristic of her father to be absent so long, without contacting her. Nick and Nora happen to be friends with the missing man's daughter, and her fience'. She begs Nick to help her find out what has happened to her father, much to Nick's initial disapproval. However, he snoops around, much to Nora's chagrin,
and soon they both are deeply embroiled in this mystery, though, as usual, more by Nora's doing than Nick's. After some sleuthing, Nick discovers a large amount of money is missing from the business; stolen, no doubt. And when he finds the skeletal remains of a body buried in the basement of the thin man's establishment, he begins to suspect foul play. Now, things are adding up. The thin man has embezelled money from his own company, murdered his accomplice in the crime, or perhaps somebody who might have found out what he was doing, and then fled the scene under a false pretense. He keeps in close contact with his business associate under another false pretense, probably to find out how the business is doing while he is away, but really to gather news about the stolen money, and whether or not the body has been found. Yet, when various clues start coming in, this scenerio quickly dissolves from the trained and experienced mind of Nick Charles for that of something more sinister, more dark, and more deeply compelling. The film's success is do more in part to Nick and Nora's constant back and forth quips, as well as the wacky underworld characters rounded up as suspects, than the plot itself. As well, the one mainstream to this series is the gathering of all the suspects in one room together, where Nick always manages to produce the guilty party after a slip of the tongue. I really enjoy watching "The Thin man", and all the movies in the "Thin Man" series. The comedy is engrossing, as is the way in which Nick goes about solving the crime, and the way Nora always manages to get in the way, but still be of help.
Rating:
Summary: The Thin Man ROCKS!!!!!!
Review: My Mom pointed me toward the Thin Man (among many other wonderful classic films) and I became an instant fan. I am desperately awaiting the studios to release the whole series on DVD and bring some light to this wonderful cast and stories. I am in love with Nora!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A classic!
Review: This movie is really good. I highly recommend it William
Powell and Myrna Loy are fantastic in the parts of Mr. and Mrs. Nick Charles. I'd give it ten stars if I could. They certainly don't make them like this anymore.
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