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I liked Garbo in this. It's not much of a film but she is wonderful to behold. She's certainly up there with Claudette Colbert, Jean Arthur, Carole Lombard and Irene Dunne. Personally Babs Stanwyck and Myrna Loy are the absolute stars of screwball but it's a shame Garbo didn't make a few more comedies to attest to her versatility, in the same way that Dietrich proved herself so much more than Von Sternberg's mannequin. If you look at the comedy of the era - the classic screwball - it's a very modern type of comedy and even some of the lesser entries play quite well now, especially as we are so used to American TV's sitcoms re- popularising the genre (Frasier being one of the best). I find screwballs of the 35-42 period are funnier now than most current comedies, Two-Faced Woman included.

The legends surrounding Geta Garbo were like so many deifications, partly true, partly fiction. When Garbo was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was only average. In "Two-Faced Woman," Garbo assays comedy one more time following her success in Ernst Lubitsch's classic farce, "Ninotchka." This time she nearly falls flat. Garbo's one redeeming feature in the film is the outlandish dance she performs midway through the show. It is indeed a marvel to behold and worth the price of admission.

Almost all the other Thespians in "Two-Faced Woman" out shine the star, especially Constance Bennett, giving a wonderful personification of an acerbic bitch determined to keep her hooks in fresh meat. The gifted actor Melvyn Douglas shows his flare for comedy in a Cary Grant-type role, fun to watch in a slap-stick finale down a ski slope. The indomitable Ruth Gordon makes the most in a small role as Douglas' secretary. Bennett's former "Topper" colleague, Roland Young, is perfect as, again, a lecherous old man. Future TV "Topper" star Robert Sterling shows why he was chosen to portray George Kerby over a decade later.

Another problem with "Two-Faced Woman" is the hackneyed story and script. Director George Cukor hoped to strike pay dirt a second time with a screwball comedy along the lines of his brilliant "The Philadelphia Story," utilizing a title similar to his recently successful "A Woman's Face." Unfortunately, he was let down by the writers, who gave him a theme already old hat. Bedroom farces involving mistaken identities, twins and lookalikes, etc., were passé by 1941. The popular Fred Astair, Ginger Rogers musicals of the 1930's employed such gimmicks in a fresh and original manner. The twins ploy of "Two-Faced Woman" just doesn't work.

Karin Borg (Garbo), a ski instructor, meets and falls in love with Larry Blake (Douglas), a magazine writer. Following a whirlwind courtship that lasts only a few days, the two decide to tie the knot. Once married, however, their varied lifestyles clash. Larry spends most of his time in New York City away from Karin, who refuses to follow him, enjoying the life she already has. Distraught by visions of being two-timed and having her marriage canned, Karin heads for New York City, ending up incognito as her non-existing twin sister, Katherine. That Larry tends to be a philander becomes more evident as Karin sees her husband with other women, one in particular, Griselda Vaughn (Bennett). Katherine finds herself in the dubious position of competing not only against Griselda but against her own alter ego, Karin.

Perhaps the shortcomings of "Two-Faced Woman" helped Garbo in deciding to retire from motion pictures. She never made another film. Though "Two-Faced Woman" is not a dud, it is below standards Garbo had set for herself.

... and that is what both Greta Garbo and Constance Bennett are doing here - playing against type. I actually liked this one when I expected to dislike it. I don't think this one was an attempt to turn Garbo into a pin-up sweater girl as much as it was the Americanization of an old soul, and an old soul that people had become accustomed to seeing in a certain type of role for the previous 16 years.

It was great fun to see Greta's character improvising a woman of the world with no real knowledge of exactly what that meant, and it was also great fun to see Constance Bennett's Griselda, a rival for the affection of Larry (Melvyn Douglas), doing what I thought she should have done in all of those precodes where she was so mistreated and yet suffered in such silence - going off in private when things weren't going her way and yelling, throwing things, and having a bit of a temper tantrum, then readjusting her clothes and hair, regaining her poise, and walking right back into the thick of things as though nothing ever happened.

The thing that struck me as odd in this film even in the production code era - Karin (Greta Garbo) and Larry have just married after a whirlwind courtship. It is their wedding night. Both just put on their pajamas, and Larry promptly announces he is tired and lies down to go to sleep like they've been married for ten years and just returned from Black Friday shopping???? And this isn't what bothers Karin at all - it's that he admits being swept up in the moment about saying he wanted to live a simple life, and he now wants to go back to New York and his job as magazine publisher. Otherwise she would have laid down and gone to sleep too??? If this was close to realistic it would be the end of the human race.

But that's the point. The whole thing is a farce from beginning to end and a delightful surprise at that. Highly recommended for the fun of it all.

Every time someone mentions this film, they say something bad about it. It wasn't the best movie but I enjoyed it thoroughly. She had my attention through the whole film. I thought Garbo was way more interesting in this film than both Constance Bennett & Melvyn Douglas. Good film. I wish I still owned it and I would watch it right now!!! I love how radical she becomes when she pretends to be her "twin" sister. Melvyn Douglas was an alright character and so too Bennett, but I thought Garbo's last performance was great and I would like for this movie to get more credit. If anyone enjoys Garbo they should enjoy this film or you are just simply not that big of a Garbo fan. That's how i see it. The mysterious lady treats us with a few funny laughs. Like when she gets drunk. Not as funny as she was in Ninotchka though. Long Live Garbo!

Rarely seen and oft-maligned, Greta Garbo's final film, "Two-Faced Woman," is an unexpected delight. Re-teamed with "Ninotchka" co-star Melvyn Douglas, Garbo plays a ski-instructor who literally overnight marries magazine publisher Douglas, only to wake up and discover some stark differences in their approach to life. Don't ask why or how, but the frothy, often quite funny, plot finds Garbo impersonating a fictitious twin sister to test Douglas's fidelity. While the role may have been better suited for Irene Dunne, Garbo nevertheless throws herself into the part and again proves her versatility. While Karin, her ski-instructor personality, has shades of Ninotchka, Katherine, the flirtatious gold digger twin, allows Garbo to shamelessly vamp, saucily dance, and bitchily spar with a hilarious Constance Bennett.

Although Garbo as Katherine rivets viewers' attention, Bennett shines and more than holds her own in the few scenes they share. Douglas is excellent as always, and the Garbo-Douglas duo should have made more films. Ruth Gordon underplays a small role, but both Roland Young and Robert Sterling have fun as Katherine's admirers. George Cukor's direction is fine, and the screwball-like screenplay, based on a play by Ludwig Fulda, may not hold up under scrutiny, but has enough hilarious moments to cover any gaps in logic.

The reasons behind Garbo's exit from the screen are many; but neither the quality of her final film nor her final delicious performance could be among them. Watching "Two-Faced Woman," one can only wistfully reflect on what film history lost by her departure. Garbo as Mrs. Paradine in "The Paradine Case" or as Mama in "I Remember Mama" would have been memorable, and, although Gloria Swanson was magnificent, Garbo as Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard" would have been sublime. Unfortunately, Garbo turned down all three roles. While Karin/Katherine may not rank among the screen goddess's greatest roles or the movie among her greatest films, any Garbo film is a treasure, and, despite an undeservedly poor reputation, "Two-Faced Woman" is not just for Garbo devotees. Fine direction and humorous script, excellent supporting performances, particularly from Bennett, and a flamboyant star turn by Garbo deserve a much wider audience than the film has had.