My Man Godfrey

My Man Godfrey
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028010/]

The Gist:
This is a film that succeeds in being rather likable but I'm not sure how, because for everything My Man Godfrey tries to be it ultimately falls short. For instance, is this film a social satire on the wealthy, ruling class? Well it has Godfrey make quips about the snobbish upper crust brats that he works for, but certainly the plot falls short of any real pointed ire or comeuppance. What about the film as a love story? Well everyone seems to fall in love with Godfrey, but he doesn't seem to fall in love with anyone else (rightly so) and then he has a romance foisted on him at the end of the film which feels cloying and forced and without real resolution. Then, of course, there is the question of conflict. Godfrey handles his challenges with the family with ease, so that isn't very compelling. The potential frame up job on Godfrey is good but brief. The rescue of the "forgotten men" could have been compelling but that all happens off screen. Finally, you have the detail of Godfrey actually being a rich man working as a butler but nothing really significant comes from that either. So why is this film as good as it is? I suppose because of the performance and dialogue of the main character, where you instantly find him compelling, along with his interactions. Other than that, the film has issues.