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Rating: 4 out of 5
Why would anyone want to get married in this day and age? It is said that 50% of all first marriages end in divorce. Think about that for a second. 50% of all marriages end. Those are insane odds. The question is, is marriage worth it? It is a financial drain; people can become extremely petty; the emotional drain can be intense; and people start over and try again. If I had 50% odds on anything in life, I would hit up Vegas or play the lottery because I am sure to win at one point. I must admit, I have never been married. I tell my friends and coworkers that if I see or date a girl, she will eventually be my future ex-wife. I used to have a list called future ex-wife. I’m trying to get on that Henry VIII level with six ex-wives, or hit those godly divorce levels like Elizabeth Taylor, who was married six times, or the legendary Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was married and divorced nine times. NINE TIMES?!?!
I have a movie for you that’s old-school, has drama, and deals with divorce. The cinema of today is the 1930 film, The Divorcee, starring Norma Shearer. The film, like many, is based on the 1929 novel “Ex-Wife” by Ursula Parrott. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard and was written by Nick Grindé, Zelda Sears, and John Meehan. This above-average film has a decent story that today would seem average and no big deal, but Norma Shearer shines.
The movie starts with four friends: Ted (Morris), Jerry (Shearer), Paul (Nagel), and Dorothy (Wood), who are the big-time people of New York City’s in-crowd. The crew is partying it up and having a great time. During the night, Jerry decides to marry Ted, but Paul, who likes Jerry, is crushed when he hears the news. Paul decides to hit the bottle HARD and becomes white boy wasted. What does white boy wasted lead to? Paul convinces everyone that he can drive. He speeds down a windy road, hits a turn, and the car flips over. I have to admit that the camera work during this scene was a chef’s kiss, because you saw the wild, drunk look in Paul’s eyes, along with the fear and terror on everyone’s faces. The accident is pretty brutal, where everyone has some type of injury. Dorothy gets it the worst as her face is disfigured. The friends and cops yell at Paul, who, in turn, decides to marry Dorothy out of guilt. Honestly, how did you not go to jail for that shit? There were no drunk driving laws back then.
The film jumps to the evening of Jerry and Ted’s third anniversary. The couple seems to be madly in love and flirts heavily with each other. Some woman named Janice, had to be a Janice, rolls up and, while in the kitchen with Ted, throws her arms around him and mentions a time when he clapped those cheeks. Jerry sees this and becomes a little distance. This is where shit hits the fan in this movie, and the drama of the night unfolds. Ted tells Jerry that he had a brief affair that didn’t “mean a thing” and plays it off like it is nothing. Dude! You just admitted you cheated, and you think that is okay. What the fuck is wrong with you? While Ted is away on a business trip, Jerry hits up her best friend, Don (Montgomery), and his trifling ass, and she has him clap those cheeks. When Ted returns and lets homegirl know he missed her and thought about her all the time, Jerry lets him know that she straight-up “balanced our accounts” as it didn’t mean anything, but didn’t say that Don clapped those cheeks. Ted goes ballistic, bounces, and soon they divorce. First, how do you get mad when you cheat first? That makes no sense. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but you stuck your thing in a woman first. STUPID! What happens? Jerry parties her heart out while Ted becomes an alcoholic.
The film follows Jerry, who seems to have suitor after suitor. The scene shows her hand with a ring as each suitor places their hand on top of hers. You can tell that Jerry is having a good time as a divorcee and living her best life. As life progresses, Paul and Jerry run into each other on a train. She finds out he still loves her and wants to drop Dorothy, as she isn’t loving or letting him clap those cheeks. The pair makes plans to spend the rest of their lives together. Shit, once again, changes for Jerry when Dorothy drops by to speak with Jerry. Dorothy is clad in all black with a veil over her face. Homegirl must really look bad. I love the effect she has with her hidden face. You knew it was bad, but her presence in the room seemed to have a deathly shadow. When Paul rolls up, she is like Oh shit. Dorothy lets Paul know she fears losing. Jerry listens to Dorothy, who says she regrets giving up on her first marriage, and decides to see if Ted wants to give it another shot. This pisses off Paul again. Let’s take a moment and say don’t regret your decision. Dude stuck his little man in another woman. That showed he didn’t respect you or your marriage. Sorry.
The climax of the film is weeks later, while Jerry searches for Ted in Paris. Yup, homegirl flew from NYC to Paris to find homeboy. At a New Year’s Eve party, Ted rolls up, smiling and not a care in the world. Oh, Ted is in Paris because he lost his job and wanted to get as far away from NYC as possible. You know you could’ve gone to Cali instead. Jerry manages to surprise Ted. Ted explains how he wanted to get away from everyone and her because he never stopped loving her. Jerry tells Ted her true feelings, to his surprise, and they make up while kissing on New Year’s. AWWWWWW.
That is the entire film. The story is simple and really focuses on Jerry and her journey from love to divorce and back to love with Ted. I have seen couples get divorced and then get back together. The cheating part is a world-ender for me. Jerry did her own thing for a while, along with Ted. These two really need to go to therapy. Individual and couples therapy. Hey, this is life, and some people know they can’t roll and need to find themselves before jumping back into a relationship.
This film features the performances of the two leading actors, Norma Shearer and Chester Morris. Norma won at the 3rd Academy Awards for Best Actress. Norma, as Jerry Martin, was great in this role. She was a loving wife until Ted turned her world upside down. Norma showed Jerry’s heartbreak from Ted’s nonchalant attitude to cheating, then the relief on her face from when she got divorced and started partying, to finally sadness and regret as she wanted Ted back. She did a fantastic job.
Chester Morris, as Ted Martin, was equally entertaining. I thought he was charming, but he had a MAJOR drinking and partying problem. Moriss showed Ted’s love for Jerry, but also someone who didn’t think he did wrong by clapping another girl’s cheeks. Moriss showed Ted’s downfall as he drank and seemed all over the place with his life and world. Somehow, dude’s hair was always slicked back without a strand of hair out of place.
The Divorcee is one of those films that probably had a strong story when it came out, but after almost 100 years, it’s meh. It is still a nice watch, but you might become bored with it and move on. It is only around 90 minutes long. Shearer was excellent in her role and deserved her award, while Morris was equally entertaining. If you are thinking about getting a divorce, you can start with this film.
