The idea for 'A Woman of Distinction' was great, not novel territory but still interesting and an entertaining film could easily be made out of it. The cast is full of very talented actors, Rosalind Russell, Ray Milland and Edmund Gwenn were capable of giving very good and even great performances. Edward Buzzell was not a bad director, but few of his films really wowed me that much with most being in the average to decent categories with a few good ones (i.e. 'Fast Company').
'A Woman of Distinction' could have been a lot better considering its potential. It's certainly not awful, far from it, it's just not all that great either and definitely could have been more inspired and distinct. And the potential for it to be great was quite big. The cast come off very well and there is enough to enjoy, but the execution of 'A Woman of Distinction's' writing and such was to me (and some others it seems) patchy and the story wasn't that strong.
What redeems 'A Woman of Distinction' quite significantly is the cast. Have always gotten a lot of enjoyment out of Russell and she has a role that fits her like a glove and a sort of role she excelled in, her comic timing really sparkles and her delivery makes the material better than it actually is. She does icy in a way that doesn't come over as too cold. Milland struck me as a more dramatic actor but this shows that he did have comedic chops, he has just as much fun as Russell and is a natural presence. Gwenn is a sheer delight and truly twinkles in a part that really played to his strengths. Mary Jane Saunders is adorable but not too cute.
Furthermore, 'A Woman of Distinction' benefits from classy production values and the filming is opened up and expansive enough to avoid it from being stagy. The music has a nice whimsy and the film's pace tends to be lively enough. There are a fair share of very amusing moments, more down though to the cast's delivery, and some very charming ones too. Plus some witty scripting.
Buzzell's direction though has moments where it shines in how the cast interact with each other, but mostly it rarely rises above competent level, all correct but with not enough spark or distinction. The story is very thin and what there is is very familiar ground with little new. Making some of it feel stale.
Later on, it did feel over-stuffed and managed to be too wild at times and the tiredness of some of the material made it feel sluggish too. Will agree that the film tends to be too slapstick heavy, especially later on, and while some of it amuses others are over-silly. And also that too many turns in the plot and character decisions are handled too abruptly with not enough time to breathe, so sense is also not a strong suit in the film either.
Overall, not a bad film but didn't quite click with me sad to say. 6/10
