Fred Astaire stars in The Pleasure of His Company as an absentee father who comes home for his daughter’s wedding.  Absentee is probably a generous word as he had been absent for most of her life.  He loves his daughter more than anything, but it was never enough for him to come home and now the thought of losing her so to speak, brings him back into the lives of his family once more.

So Astaire comes home and aside from wooing his ex-wife and trying to steal the bride away to go travelling with him – hijinks ensue.  This was a really great film to showcase Astaire’s dramatic and comedic talents with only one tiny musical number for him to sing and dance a wee bit.  It is a film that perfectly showcases why he was one of the best leading men in Hollywood and to show that he was more than just a song and dance man.  As the years passed he would turn to more and more dramatic fare such as the Towering Inferno and Ghost Story.

Debbie Reynolds plays the erstwhile daughter of the film, complimenting Astaire’s more comedic behaviour with her more serious demeanour.  It was also nice to see her in a more dramatic role as she also had a bunch of musicals to her name, most famously being Singing in the Rain.  Charles Ruggles was quite funny as the elder statesmen, as was Tab Hunter as Reynolds fiancé.  Lilli Palmer as Astaire’s clueless, yet not so clueless ex-wife was quite funny trying to keep him at bay.

A very entertaining, feel-good film to while away an afternoon.

4 out of 5