That Funny Feeling (1965)

Thanks for the memories!

Good concept, poorly executed.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is a masterful comedy based on implication, insinuation and presumption. "That Funny Feeling" is a thinking person's comedy. It's one of the best films of all time for use of innuendo to create riotously funny scenes. The film has a good dose of witty lines – many from the supporting cast. With the leads, the comedy relies more on the unspoken word, the implied – discussions misunderstood by characters. Then, it has resulting physical mishaps and antics. And, the mishaps alone are riotous. Those with their thinking caps on should be able to catch all of this.Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee had been married four years in 1965. They were heartthrobs of the teen set since the late 1950s. They were a dream couple with the dream wedding. Both were rising stars and had received Golden Globes as most promising newcomers. Darin also received an Oscar nomination for his role in "Captain Newman, M.D." And Darin was a super talented singer and musician. Darin and Dee's marriage may have been ideal at the start, but it ended in 1967. After that, their careers were cut short. He died after a second surgery on a heart weakened by rheumatoid fever as a child. That was in 1973 when he was just 37 years old. Her career took a nosedive after their 1967 divorce, and she suffered from anorexia, alcoholism and depression. She died at just 62 years of age from kidney disease.In this movie, they meet under hilarious circumstances in the opening scene. Darin plays Tom Milford and Dee plays Joan Howell. The funniest role in the entire film is that of Leo G. Carroll who plays Mr. O'Shea. He is the proprietor of an upscale Manhattan pawnshop and does a decent job with a modest Irish accent. I laughed so hard at the three scenes he is in that I had to stop the DVD and replay those parts a few times. The humor is pure innuendo from misunderstanding discussions and from wrong presumptions. James Westerfield plays police officer Brokaw in a few scenes. He has some witty lines as well as innuendo. And, Robert Strauss and Ben Lessy are riotous as bartenders who overhear Tom and Joan's conversations and misunderstand or presume wrongly what they are talking about. Lots more laughter here. Nita Talbot plays Joan's roommate, Audrey; and Larry Storch plays their neighbor and friend, Luther. Again, both have scenes with innuendo as well as some very funny lines. Donald O'Connor is Tom's friend and boss, Harvey Granson, who is a buffer for much of the comedy.This is a squeaky clean adult movie that the whole family may watch, though younger members will miss much of the comedy. The innuendo requires a little knowledge and/or familiarity with real adult life. Darin sings the title song for the movie as well. From two lives that had such difficult upbringing and tragic ends, came some very good wholesome entertainment. Bobby Darin's songs likely will last for many generations. For now and the future, the public has this and some other good films to enjoy from both stars. 'That Funny Feeling" is a grand piece of entertainment that may preserve the only happy few years of the lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee.Following are some samples of funny dialog and hilarious scenarios in this movie. Joan, "I knew what I was doing was wrong, but my motives were good."Two police officers are outside a fire escape window before the police raid the apartment. Tom and Joan are arguing and Audrey is sitting on the bed playing solitaire. First officer, "Can you hear what he's saying?" Second officer, "He seems disappointed because she didn't make him a duck dinner." First officer, "What about the other one that's playing cards on the bed?" Second officer, "I'm still workin' on the duck dinner."O'Shea is sitting at the bar, talking with the two bartenders. "Why, only this week, mind you, a mere wisp of a child with the bloom of innocence still on her cheeks, comes into the place, and would you believe it? Some dirty dog of a scoundrel, some mean, low-down, cheap, conniving, two-faced, lecherous snake in the grass, why …." He stops when he sees Tom and Joan come into the bar. She sits on a bar stool and as Tom is about to sit down, O'Shea walks over to him, taps him on the shoulder, and when Tom faces him, O'Shea socks him and knocks him out. He steps over Tom and walks away, muttering, "You and your English tailoring."Main bartender (Robert Strauss), "You know somethin', Charlie. When you got her around you don't need television."

I am so tired of violet, sexually explicit movies that if you took out all the bad language there would be no dialogue: this one is a delight. Yes it is silly, but such a nice change of pace.There is a great deal of tongue and cheek humor from the 50's and 60's that younger generations might not understand, their loss.It is nice to go back to a kind and gentler time.I read some of the negative reviews about Sandra Dee, but I could name at least a score of current actresses from the same mold, but jaded by the current definition of talent that are popular but so much worse as actresses.If you want something light and fun, it this a great film.

The movie starts off great but then runs out of gas about halfway through and never comes back. That, coupled with a weak ending makes a disappointing final product. The first half is funny with a lot of funny dialog. The plot is a little one-dimensional and that's OK as long as the script is working, but in the second half the straightforward plot starts to get tiresome. Watch for many cameos and bit parts from actors you know...that helps to carry the movie. Arte Johnson succeeds in making an impression with just one minute of screen time and only a few lines, they should have given him more. Donald O'Conner has a large part but it's unsatisfying. He's too much bluster all the way through, his role is too much a single note. He does play a role in the plot it's not important enough and his character is too thin. He has one great joke ("teach her to walk") but other than that his presence fails to gel. He's so talented but you don't see that here. I think it would have been better if his part had been sillier, but of course I realize that it's a fine line between too straight and too silly.The style is the same type of sex comedy we know so well, everything seems innocent on the surface but the script is constantly spinning out suggestive jokes that can be interpreted in a sexual way. Since it's hard for any 1960s era movie to shock me, this style of script doesn't work very well and I usually find them juvenile, boring, and trite. But this one works better for at least two reasons: 1: it's funny stuff and B: it's pretty x-rated, helping it to retain its shock value.The first part of the script is full of great jokes and ambitious scenes with crowds of people, but at the half way mark that just stops. The funny dialog stops, the silly and ambitious scenes stop and the straight-forward plot is allowed to just run its course. Then there is one more huge joke (the phone booth) and that's it, the rest of the movie is flat. Then they do a big ambitious production piece for the climax but they don't do much with it and then the final climax is weak. Of course in any romantic film you need that final climactic kiss. It's usually boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy and girl get back together, climactic kiss...we all cry and go home fulfilled. In this movie they choose not to do that. They don't build the movie up to that final climactic kiss and in fact there is no kiss there. That's an odd choice and what they have there instead is weak.

That Funny Feeling is a delightful, up-beat, cute, funny, and entertaining film. Out-dated for sure, but the movie captures a more innocent time(the early 1960s), when getting a kiss was a big deal. Sandra Dee is at her most beautiful. She was so lovely, so attractive; this role was meant for her. She gives a great performance. Bobby Darren sings the opening song and gives an equally great performance. You can see the sparks fly between these two "real-life" love-birds. Any fan of Sandra or Bobby will enjoy this light-hearted romantic tale.This is a great movie to watch on a rainy night with someone you are romantically involved with.