Irene Dunn and Cary Grant as the (un)happy couple in "The Awful Truth"

The problem I had watching The Awful Truth was that I already knew how it was going to end. So immediately, I started looking for a subplot, but there really isn’t one that jumps out. Ultimately, what got me thru this movie was the easy-charm of Cary Grant, who I will be seeing again as I rewatch a personal favorite, Bringing Up Baby.

But back to this movie. The story is very simple and formulaic. It starts with a married couple getting a divorce after the husband (Grant) suspects his wife (Irene Dunn) is having an affair with her vocal coach. (She sings as a hobby) The two then go on the rebound, Dunn falling for a rich Oklahoman (Ralph Bellamy) while Grant spends time with a rich heiress (Molly Lamont). Of course, thru a series of hijinks and slapstick comedy, the two realize that they were meant to be together… although the ending tries to leave it a bit ambiguous.

Mr. and Mrs. Warriner endup spending the night at Mrs. Warriner’s father’s cabin somewhere out in the woods. They sleep in adjacent bedrooms, but the lock on the door is faulty and keeps opening. Every time it opens, Mr. Warriner (Grant) walks over and the couple exchange dialogue about how things could be better if they gave it another shot, etc., etc. Finally, at the end, Mr. Warriner manages to keep the door shut by placing a chair in front of the door. The only problem is, he’s stuck inside Mrs. Warriner’s room. Fade out… although maybe that’s just the lights going out as the Warriners have make-up sex. Who knows. I hate ambiguous endings.