Watch
Mr. Skeffington

Mr. Skeffington

1944
Romance, Drama
2h 26m
Job Skeffington informs Fanny Trellis' that her brother Trippy has embezzled from the Skeffington bank. She marries Job to save Trippy who, angry with her, goes to World War I and is killed. She divorces Job and sends her daughter to live with him in Europe. She now takes up with host of lovers... (imdb)
Your probable score
?

Mr. Skeffington

1944
Romance, Drama
2h 26m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 55.21% from 113 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(113)
Compact view
Compact view
Rated 20 Nov 2019
75
69th
Silly movie about a vain woman who's afraid of growing old (An odd comedy I'd call it but somehow manages to work or I'm just a softy for old movies) Bette Davis as usual is superb and the transformation scenes of her as an old woman are done very well
Rated 23 Sep 2010
56
27th
Rather tacky melodrama. Beautiful and conceited Fanny mistreats poor, faithful and dull Skeffington, until she gets her comeuppance. Predictable and silly as a movie, but has some good Bette Davis scenery chewing. Fun in a campy kind of way.
Rated 10 Apr 2019
80
99th
Took a while before I was sucked in, but when I was, I found it wonderfully absurd! Mr. Skeffington (1944) really took off when her adult daughter came back and Bette Davis became a total metal case from that point. A character totally detached from reality in such a abstract manner. The focus on her wrinkles and fallen hair created the desperate nature of this obsessed creature and the ending was one of those blissful ironies which was the perfect way to end this aging-horror story.
Rated 03 Mar 2010
59
19th
Anytime Hollywood gets on its high horse and tries to criticize something it holds dear (in this case, the obsession with beauty and appearances) it always strikes as more than a tad hypocritical. Nothing against Bette Davis, who seemed to be the only major actress of her era who repeatedly didn't mind being depicted in an unglamorous, even ugly, light. The alternative message the film proposes, that a woman is only beautiful when she is loved, doesn't redress the problem either.
Rated 15 Feb 2010
70
52nd
Several great performances, led by Claude Rains, but also several jarring reminders of the film's age. Apparently the only cure for mental illness is a good man.
Rated 22 Jan 2011
20
41st
"This is a star vehicle in extremis." - Dan Callahan
Rated 22 Mar 2013
6
44th
The plot all seems rather dated and daft but great fun for afternoon viewing.
Rated 01 May 2021
60
35th
Similar to those long and meandering 19th century novels, this tells the rise and fall of a very vain woman. Unfortunately, she's so one-note that by the middle of the movie, it's hard to tell if you care whether or not she ever grows up. Rains, of course, is amazing; Davis (and the makeup crew) go a little over-the-top. Chop off 20-30 minutes and it makes a great melodrama.
Rated 02 Mar 2023
94
74th
My only criticism here is the running time; just a bit too long. Great performances and an interesting story.
Rated 16 Oct 2022
55
50th
The first two-thirds of this is an odd mixture of rom-com and melodrama, and it never finds quite the right tone. Playing the coquette does not come naturally to Davis, and you can feel how carefully studied her characterization is--it excites no sympathy, though, and one begins to hate her. Claude Rains is wonderful as her barely-tolerated husband, never for one moment begging for our sympathy. Then, she's ravaged by diphtheria and the rom-com element evaporates, not a moment too soon.

Collections

(9)
Compact view
Showing 1 - 9 of 9 results

Similar Titles

Loading ...

Statistics

Loading ...

Trailer

No Trailer