This film is melodramatic and the romance in it is completely unconvincing. Doesn't it make you thrilled you didn't live through the '50s? And if you were alive at that time, then doesn't this film make you cringe?
The film is about a righteous journalist who fakes being Jewish to go under cover and "blow the lid off antisemitism". Pathbreaking, brave, topical, helpful--this film was many things in its own day. But today it's a little embarrassing, not just because its portrayal of the protestant establishment is boring but also because the whole ploy seems unlikely.
Also, the way this couple falls in and out of love is hilariously lame. If the '50s were really like this, then thank God they're over. And if only the '50s films were like this, then why?
Two redeeming notes: Mr. Green's prose is actually quite persuasive--an interesting assessment of bigotry which probably comes from the novel the film is based on. And the scenes where Mr. Green (Peck) plays father to his young son. These are charming.
Gentleman's Agreement
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