The Netflix Report: The Thin Man
Now, don’t get me wrong: I love a good mystery. Bring on the whodunits. I’m all over a good tale of murder and mayhem.
But do you know the problem with The Thin Man? I like the heroes, Nick and Nora Charles, so much that I tend to forget the plot of the movie. Julia Wolf? Something about stolen shares for Dorothy Wynant’s wedding? I believe there was an absent-minded professor in there somewhere? …Right. Now, can we go back and hang out with the Charleses again? Oh, and bring Asta. He’s awfully cute, not to mention a fine crime-fighter and a classic crossword-puzzle clue.
I’m not saying the Charleses are much in the way of role models, though naming a line of pajamas after them isn’t such a bad idea. Nick and Nora are drunk most of the time, and solving mysteries is really more of a hobby for them than a serious engagement. But who are we to judge? After all, a murderer caught in fun (at a lovely dinner party, no less) is still a murderer caught, and we can’t fault them for that. And they do seem to very much enjoy being married to one another, which isn’t such a bad thing. In any case, they win at witty banter.
If only I could remember who did it and why. But never mind; Nick and Nora probably wouldn’t, either.
The Thin Man, Nick and Nora Charles, Nick and Nora, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Dashiell Hammett
September 19th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Yes, I think you have put your finger on the Thin Man experience. Watching it put my mom on a William Powell spree, and most of his movies are like that - you don’t much care what’s going on - you just want him to come back.
And, as a married person especially, I do enjoy movies with very happily married people.
September 19th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
I actually read the book, and the amount Nick Charles drinks is staggering. I was shocked he didn’t die of alcohol poisoning.