2947. Lover Come Back (1961)

Starring: Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall

Director: Delbert Mann

Running Time: 107 mins

Lover Come Back is an American film about two rival advertising executives who unwittingly find themselves growing closer, while they fight over the rights to marketing a new, mysterious product.

If you liked Pillow Talk– also starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson – you’ll definitely enjoy Lover Come Back. Why? Well, because it’s pretty much the same film. It’s an enjoyable romantic comedy with a case of mistaken identity thrown in, featuring a fluffy story, good laughs and two delightfully charismatic performances.

Of course, this film and Pillow Talk aren’t exactly the same. This movie is a little bit more robust, with Day and Hudson’s love-hate relationship going a little further. That distances Lover Come Back from Pillow Talk‘s ultra-fluffy atmosphere, and it also allows for some bigger, more chaotic laughs and hijinks.

In fact, before the romance kicks off in earnest, the film’s first hour is an absolutely hilarious watch. From delightfully funny slapstick to a clever and chaotic tale about the mad world of advertising, there’s a lot to make you laugh in Lover Come Back.

While Day and Hudson’s complex love-hate relationship unfolds, the film’s main fun factor comes in the form of its story about advertising execs running around like headless chickens, desperate to get the contract for a completely made-up product.

It’s a brilliant farce that’s a lot of fun to watch unfold, and with an energetic screenplay and equally vivacious performances, it has a pace and energy that goes a lot further than Pillow Talk.

The problem, however, comes when the story starts to transition towards a more mellow romance. Apart from the fact that the plot is beyond preposterous, Lover Come Back really misses that chaotic energy in its latter stages, only briefly recapturing it towards the very end.

That means it’s not a perfectly consistent film throughout, and feels a little underwhelming in the final third, compared with the hilarity of the opening stages.

Saying that, though, there’s still a lot of fun to be had with Lover Come Back. It’s a light-hearted, fluffy and fun-loving romantic comedy that’s full of charisma and laughs. It might not be perfect, or even entirely original, but it’s a well-meaning movie that will certianly put a smile on your face, so that’s why I’m giving it a 7.5 overall.