‘HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE’: THE 1960s DARK COMEDY ENTERTAINS
Hilarious in a very unconventional way, this is another title in my string of movies that today’s younger adults would loathe, How to Murder Your Wife is funny and ridiculous (which is part of its charm).
How to Murder Your Wife (1965) Film Review
As a “man’s man,” or more commonly known as a butler, Charles (Terry-Thomas) tells us the Mr. Ford’s home is perfect. He’s a man of the world with a good career as a syndicated cartoonist, an ideal townhouse and all the right kind of habits. Best of all, Mr. Ford is single, and Charle’s keeps his life well ordered. Everything changes when Mr. Ford (Jack Lemmon) picks up a Mrs. Ford (Virna Lisi) when while attending a bachelor party, Stanley drunkenly marries the dancer hired to entertain at the party.
This shifts the entire dynamics and Charles angrily leaves (after all, he doesn’t work for married couples)! Mrs. Ford changes the furnishings and feeds Stanley, perhaps a little too well. When he starts to write boring comic strips all about boring married life, and starts to pack on pounds, well, he decides something needs to change and so the plotting begins… how to murder your wife
FILM REVIEW | YEAR OF THE COMET: TIM DALY STARS IN 1990s COMEDY
‘HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE’: THE 1960s DARK COMEDY ENTERTAINS. Jack Lemmon stars in unexpectedly funning comedy. #Comedy #RomanceMovie #RomanticComedy Share on X
This is one of those movies that viewers will probably either love or detest. For me, it’s a title I can enjoy and I don’t take seriously. Plus, the way the plot unfolds is really nothing like what you may assume when you see the title. The cast is good and while the way cast mates interact with each other always “feels” different in films from the 70s, 60s, 50s and so on, I still do enjoy everyone together. The humor has funny moments and how things unravel made me giggle several times.
In many ways, the film is equal parts smart and ridiculous. When it comes right down to it, How to Murder Your Wife is ultimately clever. I’m impressed with how the story unfolds and the concept of the film, too. It’s dark humor I suppose, but Jack Lemmon makes it likable. The film, like others from its era and even today, doesn’t allow both sexes to have the same kind of “say,” and so the dialogue, most particularly the courtroom scene, will likely annoy many. I’m a big advocate for featuring characters equally smart and clever no matter the sexes, or relationship (working or romantic).
Fun and entertaining, this is one of the older films I would watch again. Anything that makes me laugh is something I tend to give some flexibility to.
Stream, at publication, How to Murder Your Wife with Prime Video or Tubi; or you can digitally purchase or rent on Prime Video
Photos: Alamy
Content: this one has some innuendo, all of which is mostly fitting with its PG rating. We see a woman lying naked in a bed 2-3 times (sheets cover her). There are a lot of making out scenes that are implied to lead to sex. Conversation revolves murder and how to go about committing a murder.
PINTEREST PIN – SAVE & SHARE
