Brenda L Privara | Akron, Ohio United States | 03/22/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When housewife, Doris Day, is asked to do live tv commercials for Happy Soap, her doctor husband, James Garner is not pleased. But when things start getting really crazy (like when the owners of Happy Soap install a swimming pool in their backyard without telling them and James Garner drives his car into it ) things start going downhill. This is one of the funniest and at the same time most adorable family movies I have ever seen. When Doris Day gets frustrated in her first live commercial and introduces herself by saying "Hello, I'm Beverly Boyer, and I'm a pig..." you start laughing and don't quit. It's a rare movie that doesn't resort to bad language, nudity or sex to find its audience. I enjoyed every minute of it and recommend it to anyone wanting to find a movie for the whole family that you don't have to censor."
Cute Doris Day Comedy
Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 06/19/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Doris Day and James Garner had a wonderful chemistry, first-evidenced when Universal paired them in THE THRILL OF IT ALL!, a bubbly romantic comedy about the tenacious power balance between husband and wife.
Beverly Boyer (Doris Day) is a devoted wife and mother who suddenly finds nation-wide fame as the star of the "Happy Soap" TV commercials. Her successful obstetrician husband Gerald (James Garner) finds himself thrust into the position of being "Mr Beverly Boyer" as their marriage and private-life careens into a media frenzy. Can marriage survive life in the spotlight?...
Adorable romantic comedy with Doris Day at the top of her form. The Boyer children are played winningly by Brian Nash and Kim Karath (best-remembered as little Gretl in "The Sound of Music"). The cast also includes Arlene Francis, Elliott Reid, ZaSu Pitts and Edward Andrews. This was one of the first major screenplays by Carl Reiner, following years of solid TV comedy writing."
The Thrill of it All
Kelly | Littleton, Colorado | 03/22/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Beverly Boyer a stay at home mom, and perfectly happy doing so for her obstetrician husband Gerald. During a dinner party thrown by a patient of her husband, Beverly relates a story of how much her daughter loves Happy Soap not knowing her hosts are Happy Soap. When she is asked to be the spokesperson for Happy Soap, it throws the family in a tailspin. Beverly never has any free time, and Gerald is not happy playing second fiddle to his wife. Gerald decides to teach his pretty wife a lesson.
This is a great old classic. Doris Day and James Garner are wonderful together with great chemistry. "
The Thrill of 4 Stars
Byron Kolln | 11/25/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Not a lot of people remember that next to the three classic bedroom farces that Doris Day made Rock Hudson, she had made two pretty good ones with James Garner. THE THRILL OF IT ALL (the other being MOVE OVER DARLING) is noteworthy for a classic scene in which James Garner drives a car into a swimming pool (the pool still exists in the Universal Studios "suburban neighborhhood" lot section where you can see the houses of "Leave It to Beaver" and "The Munsters" etc.) Garner plays a physician of a middle aged woman finally becoming pregnant. The husband (a television advirtiser) is so greatful that he invites the Doctor (Garner) and his wife (Doris Day) to a party with a bunch of other television advirtisers. By accident, these execs see Doris Day and she is hired to do commercials for their "Happy Soap" products because of her natural homemaking persona. She then becomes so popular, that it begins to turn-off Garner and it puts a strain on their marriage as she neglects her wifely and motherly duties. Funny and plausible plot, comedic moments, and funny characters make this a classic 60's bedroom farce worthy of the Hudson/Day farces. Script also noteworthy because it's co-written by Larry Gelbart (tv's M.A.S.H.) and Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show). Reiner also is featured in some hilarious spots in the movie playing an actor on the dramas that "Happy Soap" is sponsoring. Hilarious because the scripts are exactly the same, but the time periods are changed (i.e. WWII Germany to the American Wild West). Note: Look for veteran character actor Edward Andrews (16 Candles) and Kym Karath who played Gretl - the youngest of the Von Trapp family -- in the movie musical of THE SOUND OF MUSIC."
A classic Doris Day gem... fun movie!
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 04/12/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A hip and happening Doris Day comedy in which the girl next door becomes a media sensation. Doris stars, not surprisingly, as a wholesomely sexy suburban housewife who is hired to become the spokesperson for the Happy Soap company, because Happy Soap's crotchety old president finds her stammering, unprofessional endorsements to be refreshingly honest and -- more importantly -- so does the soap-buying public. In fact, the only one who doesn't like her ascent into the media is her grouchy, fragile-egoed husband (played by James Garner), who can't stand the thought of his own wife having a job -- it's just too much of a blow to his masculinity, and besides, who will raise the kids if mommy goes to work? The depth and sheer matter-of-factness to the sexism in this pre-women's movement comedy will be both astounding and instructive to a modern audience, but besides all that, it's also a great vehicle for Day's bubbly, frowsy charm. Garner's character is a bit hysterical, but it's all worth it for the big payoff: his double-take during the swimming pool scene is a golden comedic moment. Scriptwriter Carl Reiner's touch is easy to pick out; Reiner also has some choice cameos as a hammy TV actor on the show that Happy Soap sponsors. There are also plenty of great early '60s character actors, such as Edward Andrews, who you may recognize from old TV re-runs and the like. [Crazy cast note: the Pamela Curran, who plays "Spot Checker," the glamorous model who was the former Happy Soap Girl, is a dead ringer for Drea de Matteo (best known as Adriana, of the Sopranos...) The likeness must be seen to be believed.] Anyway, this is a fun movie, entirely enjoyable and also a real blast of Kennedy-era camp."