The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

Director: Preston Sturges
Year Released: 1944
Rating: 2.5

This lighthearted, earnest comedy by the great Preston Sturges left me feeling rather indifferent at the end. Perhaps it's because of its hokey, golly-gee-shucks attitude or maybe because I think the story is totally outdated (it is, after all, a WWII comedy). The real gems here are not the two main characters, Norval and Trudy, but Trudy's father and sister, Constable and Emmy Kockenlocker (played by Diana Lynn and William Demarest). They have perfect chemistry together, and fourteen-year-old Emmy's carnal knowledge belies her rather innocent appearance - this, of course, greatly irritates her headstrong, powerful father (his repeated attempts to 'kick her in the rear' are hilarious). Eddie Bracken is too overbearing to be tolerable. Not completely dreadful, however, due to Sturges' exceptional dialogue.