The plot to "Strangers in Love" is clearly the sort of Hollywood plot that would never happen in real life. My advice is to watch the film...and try to look past the implausibility of the story.
When the film begins, you see that there are identical twin brothers (both played by Frederic March) who are nothing like each other in personalities or their lifestyles. Arthur is a bitter and unlikable Egyptologist who doesn't seem to care about others. Buddy is a poor guy who is more a 'normal Joe'. And, it seems that when their rich father died, he inexplicably gave his entire fortune to the bitter Egyptologist.
One day the poor brother goes to see his brother. The Egyptologist is cold and nasty and tells his poor brother that when he dies, he's leaving his money for Egyptological research and giving him nothing! But, after telling him this, the nasty brother suffers a fatal heart attack. So, the nice brother, Buddy, pretends to be his brother and tells authorities that Buddy had died...and he assumes the nasty brother's life. Can he maintain this ruse? After all, the nasty brother's friends, research, associates and girlfriend are all unknown to Buddy. And, will there be any complications? And, could the brother's life actually be worse than poor Buddy's?
If this plot seems familiar, well...it is. Later Bette Davis films like "A Stolen Life" and "Dead Ringer" cover the same sort of material. However, unlike the Davis films, "Strangers in Love" has a more comedic bent.
Overall, I think I prefer this movie to the Davis films. I think the main reason is the writing, as "Strangers in Love" is more lighthearted and doesn't take itself so seriously. Plus, while Davis is a fantastic actress, Frederic March wasn't exactly a slouch when it came to acting!
By the way, don't let your head explode when Buddy calls his maid 'Snowball'. Yes, it is VERY demeaning and wrong, but was a sign of the times in which the movie was made.
When the film begins, you see that there are identical twin brothers (both played by Frederic March) who are nothing like each other in personalities or their lifestyles. Arthur is a bitter and unlikable Egyptologist who doesn't seem to care about others. Buddy is a poor guy who is more a 'normal Joe'. And, it seems that when their rich father died, he inexplicably gave his entire fortune to the bitter Egyptologist.
One day the poor brother goes to see his brother. The Egyptologist is cold and nasty and tells his poor brother that when he dies, he's leaving his money for Egyptological research and giving him nothing! But, after telling him this, the nasty brother suffers a fatal heart attack. So, the nice brother, Buddy, pretends to be his brother and tells authorities that Buddy had died...and he assumes the nasty brother's life. Can he maintain this ruse? After all, the nasty brother's friends, research, associates and girlfriend are all unknown to Buddy. And, will there be any complications? And, could the brother's life actually be worse than poor Buddy's?
If this plot seems familiar, well...it is. Later Bette Davis films like "A Stolen Life" and "Dead Ringer" cover the same sort of material. However, unlike the Davis films, "Strangers in Love" has a more comedic bent.
Overall, I think I prefer this movie to the Davis films. I think the main reason is the writing, as "Strangers in Love" is more lighthearted and doesn't take itself so seriously. Plus, while Davis is a fantastic actress, Frederic March wasn't exactly a slouch when it came to acting!
By the way, don't let your head explode when Buddy calls his maid 'Snowball'. Yes, it is VERY demeaning and wrong, but was a sign of the times in which the movie was made.
