\u201cThe High Cost of Loving\u201d is a mild comedy of errors about the home and workplace tribulations of Jim Fry (Jose Ferrer).\u00a0 Jim\u2019s a purchasing agent for the Lynden Company which has just been purchased by Associated Industries.\u00a0 Through a series of accidents and misunderstandings Jim gets the impression that he\u2019s about to be fired.\u00a0 And naturally this is simultaneous with the news that his wife Ginny is going to have a baby.<\/p>\n
(Spoiler Alert \u2013 Skip down to last paragraph to avoid spoilers and read recommendation)<\/strong><\/p>\n This comedy of errors begins with Jim not getting invited to a lunch where the executive board of Associated will meet the assistant directors (like Jim) who are being considered for promotion in the new corporate environment.\u00a0 And after this first slight, several incidents provide reinforcement to the idea that the new management intends to terminate Jim.\u00a0 And of course, this makes him jumpy and increasingly bitter and causes trouble between husband and wife.<\/p>\n In addition, Jim\u2019s work friend Steve has a wife Syd who in addition to being Ginny\u2019s friend is also a blabbermouth who can\u2019t help but say the wrong thing about the events going on at Lynden Company.<\/p>\n Finally, after Jim has come to terms with his worries and resolved to do whatever is necessary to save his job, he reaches his office in time to see a painter scraping his name off the window.\u00a0 Incensed, he sits down at this desk and writes a scathing letter to the new president of Lynden Company expressing his outrage at what he thinks is the company\u2019s ingratitude toward him.\u00a0 He stomps over to the president\u2019s office and gives the letter to the secretary there.\u00a0 Just then the president and his boss from Associated Industries walk in and hurry Jim into the office to inform him that an error occurred keeping Jim off the list of invitees for the lunch with the executive board.\u00a0 And then they inform him that he\u2019s been promoted to Director of Purchasing.\u00a0 After some embarrassing moments he retrieves the letter and manages to convince the president that the letter he wrote should be returned unread.\u00a0 And tranquility is restored on the business front for Jim.<\/p>\n The movie ends with Ginny allowing Jim to regale her with tales of his oratorical prowess at the infamous \u201clunch\u201d followed by Ginny pulling a prank on him.\u00a0 She pretends that the letter he reclaimed from the president\u2019s office was not the one he wrote but a magazine subscription form letter that must have been on the president\u2019s desk.\u00a0 After debunking her joke the movie ends with a romantic scene between husband and wife as their lives settle into a new and happier circumstance.<\/p>\n This movie is a bit of fluff.\u00a0 A Shakespearian title would be \u201cMuch Ado About Nothing.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s such a mild comedy with so little consequence about the plot that you might think it isn\u2019t worth the trouble to watch it.\u00a0 I\u2019ll disagree.\u00a0 I don\u2019t suppose that the word charming has much currency today.\u00a0 But that is the word that comes to mind.\u00a0 And for once my tastes and Camera Girl\u2019s agreed.\u00a0 I guess that makes this domestic comedy a good date movie.\u00a0 The relationship between husband and wife is so attractively drawn that we both found ourselves laughing at the same scenes.\u00a0 And each of us defended our side of the battle of the sexes when it inevitably emerged.\u00a0 But we equally agreed that the marriage on display was refreshingly healthy.\u00a0 Jose Ferrer directed himself in this movie and I believe he also had one of the writing credits.\u00a0 I give him high marks for the little touches he added to the domestic scenes.\u00a0 The scenes where husband and wife wake up and stagger through their groggy routine were well scripted and enjoyable.\u00a0 And finally, the thing I noticed was that the world of 1958 America was a thoroughly pleasant place.\u00a0 Even the anxiety of losing a job takes place in surroundings that trumpet a peaceful and well-ordered world.\u00a0 And Jim is worried about losing his job because of competency not diversity, equity and inclusion considerations.\u00a0 Ah, simpler and better times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cThe High Cost of Loving\u201d is a mild comedy of errors about the home and workplace tribulations of Jim Fry (Jose Ferrer).\u00a0 Jim\u2019s a purchasing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,237],"tags":[91,1583,43,38,1355],"class_list":["post-25987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie-reviews","category-reviews","tag-comedy","tag-jose-ferrer","tag-movie-review","tag-review","tag-reviews"],"yoast_head":"\n