La moglie bella

... because this is some bold fashion statement she is making here, four years before Bette Davis dared to look repulsive in "Of Human Bondage".

Kitty (Norma Shearer) is a somewhat overweight frumpy housefrau, devoted to her husband and kids. The husband, Bob (Rod La Roque), is kind to Kitty, but his passion belongs to his mistress. The mistress is getting tired of hiding matters, so she barges into the house and frankly tells Kitty what's been going on between the two of them. Kitty acts sophisticated and says she knows all about it, but deep down she is heartbroken. Bob asks for forgiveness and a second chance, but she flatly refuses.

Fast forward three years and socialite Mrs. Bouccicault (Marie Dressler) is entertaining at her Long Island estate. She's invited her good friend Kitty to come for the weekend and steal Bob away from her granddaughter, Diane (Sally Eiler), who is about to be married to someone closer to her own age and range of experience. Mrs. B has no idea that Kitty was ever married to Bob, so this is just a big coincidence. Kitty is now thin, fashionable, and confident and has no idea that she is supposed to be vamping her ex husband. Just how this transformation to head turner happened is never mentioned. For that matter, neither are her children! Well, they are alluded to from time to time, but they apparently are stashed somewhere that they cannot interfere with the jet setting of their parents before there was any such thing as jets.

When Kitty and Bob finally meet, they are genuinely surprised to see each other and sparks begin to fly. In Bob's case that means romance is on his mind, but in Kitty's case those sparks could mean she is considering burning him at the stake. How does this turn out? Watch and find out.

I don't know who cast the men in this film, but they are ponderous choices. Collectively they have the romantic appeal of the Pillsbury Doughboy without his flair for conversation and comedy. I will give it a small break because this was the first full year MGM was involved in talking film. The first act with Kitty as a frump and the last act are compelling, but it sags pretty badly in the middle and is mainly saved by Marie Dressler's performance as the eccentric socialite Mrs. B. Dressler steals the show in just about every scene she appears, as was often the case.