30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia

"30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia" could never be lumped in with Richard Lester's irreverent (i.e., disrespectful) comedies of the 1960s, nor the Monty Python movies which came into vogue a few years later. It's too enamored with American nostalgia...and is too eager-to-please to make its mark as a swinging comedy with an edge (such as 1967's "Bedazzled"). Dudley Moore plays 29-year-old British composer who hopes to be married by his 30th birthday (the age when a man is supposed to have his life together); he has his eye on a pretty lodger (named Louise!), but is also consumed by work while writing his first theatrical musical. Moore, who also co-wrote the screenplay with director Joseph McGrath and John Wells, seems to be having a high time here, though he relies too often on exaggerated facial expressions for laughs. McGrath eschews the popular mod trappings of the day for a more old-fashioned visual approach, including Walter Mitty-like daydreams, which is fine for the first three-quarters of an hour; after that, the gags get pushy and desperate, while the Bogart-spoof late in the proceedings is a complete miscalculation. Some spirit and style on a minor scale, and the score (also by Moore) is excellent. ** from ****