In 1937, Leo McCarey gave the audience two awful truths: Make Way for Tomorrow and The Awful Truth. One, about the harsh nature of aging, family, and love, was little-seen and became a forgotten gem. The other, which dealt with the realization that relationships must be based on mutual continuous acceptance of each other's flaws and absurdities, won McCarey an Oscar and became one of the quintessential early comedies. Deciding which of these films is better is an impossible task, so let's instead celebrate McCarey's superb grasp of the material, the brilliant dialogue, and the incredible chemistry of Irene Dunne and Cary Grant.
After unexplained excursions that suggest infidelity, wife and husband Lucy Warriner (Irene Dunne) and Jerry Warriner (Cary Grant) assume the worst of each other and file for divorce. Of course, this being one of those Cary Grant marriage pictures (see: The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday), breaking the union proves to be rather difficult as Jerry and Lucy still very much love one another. While each are scandalized by the supposed infidelity, they cannot let go of each other and hijinks ensue as they ruin each other's chances with prospective suitors. Grant and Dunne make one of the screen's best comedic couples as there's a sweetness to their reminiscences, a silliness to their schemes, a seriousness to the moments when they discuss why they cannot be together, a wonderful sense of befuddlement in their reactions, and a genuine feeling of love. Perhaps Dunne is most deserving of the credit here as her character's plan to block her husband's remarriage is the zaniest (it involves adopting a showgirl persona and performing risque shtick) and the moments where she must bare her heart are the most moving in the film. No other actress has matched Grant so perfectly (Katharine Hepburn and Rosalind Russell's more two-dimensional characters cannot compare with Dunne's vibrant, feeling, and intelligent Lucy).