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Full of Life
My theory that Judy Holliday never made a bad movie is again confirmed with a sweet-natured 1956 family comedy called Full of Life, which would be the second to final film for Holliday.
We are introduced to the Roccos, Nick (Richard Conte) who is a writer, who has just moved into a new home with his wife Emily (Holliday), who is eight months pregnant with their first child. Emily is driving Nick and everyone else in her orbit crazy because at this point in her pregnancy, her hormones are in overdrive and everything everyone does is driving her crazy. After an accident in the house for which the Roccos can't afford the repair costs, Emily convinces Nick to turn to her father, a master carpenter, to handle the repairs, but for some reason, Nick wants nothing to do with his father.
John Fante was allowed to adapt his own novel into a screenplay, an intimate look at family dynamics that finds a pregnant woman on the verge of insanity putting all of her energy into mending the relationship between her husband and her father-in-law no matter how much the two men fight it. Although, it is amusing that Emily goes ballistic every time Nick even glances at another woman. There's a great scene near the beginning of the film where Emily catches Nick in the back alley talking to a female neighbor and the camera zooms in on the woman's tiny waist.
Once again, Holliday is highlighted in another role that isn't another dumb blond like Billie Dawn. This character not only has strong opinions about religion and the way her children are raised but also shows off Holliday's underrated skill at physical comedy. Her moments of silliness are perfectly balanced with an intelligence we don't see coming. Richard Conte displays skill at light comedy that I've never seen before as Nick, and Salvatore Baccaloni steals every scene he's in as Nick's father. Holliday fans will be delighted.
My theory that Judy Holliday never made a bad movie is again confirmed with a sweet-natured 1956 family comedy called Full of Life, which would be the second to final film for Holliday.
We are introduced to the Roccos, Nick (Richard Conte) who is a writer, who has just moved into a new home with his wife Emily (Holliday), who is eight months pregnant with their first child. Emily is driving Nick and everyone else in her orbit crazy because at this point in her pregnancy, her hormones are in overdrive and everything everyone does is driving her crazy. After an accident in the house for which the Roccos can't afford the repair costs, Emily convinces Nick to turn to her father, a master carpenter, to handle the repairs, but for some reason, Nick wants nothing to do with his father.
John Fante was allowed to adapt his own novel into a screenplay, an intimate look at family dynamics that finds a pregnant woman on the verge of insanity putting all of her energy into mending the relationship between her husband and her father-in-law no matter how much the two men fight it. Although, it is amusing that Emily goes ballistic every time Nick even glances at another woman. There's a great scene near the beginning of the film where Emily catches Nick in the back alley talking to a female neighbor and the camera zooms in on the woman's tiny waist.
Once again, Holliday is highlighted in another role that isn't another dumb blond like Billie Dawn. This character not only has strong opinions about religion and the way her children are raised but also shows off Holliday's underrated skill at physical comedy. Her moments of silliness are perfectly balanced with an intelligence we don't see coming. Richard Conte displays skill at light comedy that I've never seen before as Nick, and Salvatore Baccaloni steals every scene he's in as Nick's father. Holliday fans will be delighted.