Três Maridos

Plot-- From cloudy heaven, a departed playboy gleefully watches three married couples grapple with problems he's created with incriminating letters to the husbands. Could it be that he has a hidden purpose.

Pairing the sardonic Eve Arden with the gruff Howard DaSilva has all kinds of comedic potential. Too bad they don't get more barbed screen time. Then the sometimes comedy, sometimes drama, would get more needed spark. There's clever banter among the three couples, but much of the acting, particularly Strudwick and Karnes, fails to lift beyond the blandly conventional. Nor does Reis's direction heighten the effects. Nonetheless, actor Williams manages to make his potentially dislikable character, Max, oddly likable. Also, scenes in celluloid heaven could raise a touchy 'who-rules' religious problem. However, the script finesses this by making the gate-keeper sound like a corporate auditor without indicating who's ultimately in charge.

Overall, it's an indie production that shows its limitations; at the same time, the occasional snappy dialogue amounts to the best part.