This wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be. Molly (Debbie Reynolds) grew up poor and uneducated in the hinterlands of Colorado but determined that she was going to make something of herself... by becoming a rich man's wife. John J. Brown (Harve Presnell) is technically rich but he doesn't care enough to show it. He decides to woo Molly based on her personality but she very quickly informs him that he's going to have to put up or shut up. So he becomes the richest man in the U.S. Molly now has her dream of financial security, but it doesn't come with social inclusion. The head of Denver society, Mrs. Gladys McGraw (Audrey Christie), has decided the Browns are too crass to associate with and given them the cut direct. So Molly goes to Europe to gain a little sophistication, hobnobbing with aristocrats charmed by her directness and willingness to pick up the check. But J.J. is tired of it. He only ever participated to make Molly happy and as soon as he realized that was an ever-shifting goalpost, he was out. Molly has to choose between her marriage and her posh friends, deciding once and for all what she really wants out of life.
Honestly, I was shocked anyone liked this broad. Reynolds was almost terminally charming in real life but she grated on my nerves in this role. She is the main character but all the big songs are given to Presnell. For an introductory role! And the songs themselves are terrible! Repetitive and boring. Reynolds deserved better than this. Ed Begley, Sr. and Hermione Baddeley try but can't lift this movie out of the mire. It's streaming for free on Tubi and I'd still like my money back.
In other news, I watched season 2 of Cheers, which still holds up pretty well, and season 1 of What We Do in the Shadows. I liked it more than the movie so I'll probably watch season 2 eventually.
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