Clevercell Very disappointing...

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

marc This movie is watchable and engaging despite its flaws.its the sort of movie I wish I had seen as a child , I would have liked it a lot more then. The real life Mr. And Mrs. Cary Grant are the parents of three children plus two foster children. Both foster kids come to them as sullen, angry and disturbed , but in a short time, after being loved, mostly by the patient and kind Mother(Betsy Drake) , they transform into nice sitcom kids. Once Mom succeeds with Jane , there isn't much doubt or tension that orphan #2 will end up a conformist Eagle Scout. The good stuff-the child actors are all good. Norman Taurog elicits good performances out of children. We hope he didn't need to threaten to kill the dog, this time, in order to motivate the kids(famous story told many times by Jackie Cooper). The not so good stuff- WB and Max Steiners decision to telegraph every emotion with the heavy score. I know it's a feature of its time, but really do we need another tinkly version of Row your boat,after we heard Grant and the family sing it ad nauseum.Another possible negative-Cary Grant casting, in general..yes his performance is fine, but seeing him with his great tan ,great hair,Cary Grant voice playing a struggling municipal employee,just not real believable in this role. And this is not to say,Grant can't be great playing struggling, real people,just not in this movie..There is a running gag that I did enjoy,that Grant is constantly sexually frustrated,with all of the kiddie interruptions. And there is one eye popping sight gag, that will go over every kids head, I am sure . Mom and Poppy are about to get it on, he has planned a romantic night with a bottle of champagne .They are interrupted again by crises de child. Grant accepts it as the bottle of champagne explodes and foams all over the bed.Probably the best moment in the movie. Some other strange bits-why did orphan #2,jimmy John sport a real New York-ese Brooklyn accent, when no one else did?What about the extended scene of Grant in his white trunks and nothing else.? He looks trim and good for 50's standards,but why is he still clad in the trunks for the next ten minute scene? Over all, worth watching and engaging, but definitely dated and of its time.

moonspinner55 Real-life marrieds Cary Grant and Betsy Drake as a loving couple who adopt needy children. Perhaps trying to erase the stigma--the negative curiosity--from adoption and foster families that was highly prevalent in the early-'50s, screenwriters Jack Rose and Melville Shavelson (working from Anna Perrot Rose's book) go a little nutty providing these particular children with a happy ending. Drake is appropriately warm and buttery, but Grant (uncomfortably referred to as "Poppy" Rose, as if he were in his 70s) has the stern look of concentration that unfortunately never slides into bemusement. His "Poppy" is supposed to be wary of his wife's desire to fill the house with kids, but Grant seems a bit anxious at finding an actual character to portray. He's just relying on externals here, and the slightest sneer of discontent shows through. Story transformed into a TV series some ten years later. ** from ****

edwagreen Heartwarming tale which proves that environment is a great factor than heredity with regard to placement of children.Cary Grant and Betsy Drake are absolutely fabulous as the couple with 3 children and limited finances; despite this, they take in two difficult foster children.With patience and a firm hand, they are able to succeed beyond the expectation of what many would feel.They did a wonderful job raising their own three children as well. The three knew when to help out.The film excellently pointed out the problems of coping with a foster children; one who comes into your home with an array of problems looking for love and understanding.This is definitely a film that will tug at your heart. It is so nostalgic yet it represents the best of human kindness and dignity. You'll have a tear in your eye, but you will certainly come away with that good feeling of accomplishment.Bless those who take in foster children and are able to work with them.

bkoganbing Although Cary Grant is first billed and narrates the story, the central character of Room For One More is Grant's then wife Betsy Drake. The film is based on the memoirs and true story of Anna Rose who after having three children of her own, goes out and takes in more for foster care. In real life the Roses had four foster children, here we only see presumably the first two.Drake is one of those people who just can't resist taking in a stray anything. In addition to kids, she and Grant take in dogs, and cats, and even a rabbit which does its multiplying thing in short order. The two foster kids are Iris Mann an unloved and unlovely teenager who with a real home blossoms like Cinderella.Clifford Tatum, Jr. is more of a problem, he's a sullen kid equipped with Forrest Gump like braces. Grant and Drake achieve something of a miracle with him as well. Room For One More is one of a series of films where the married and domesticated Cary Grant is more in evidence. You could also include Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and Houseboat as that same type of film. It was a new dimension for an older star and Grant handled it very well. Highlight has to be his talk with young Tatum about the facts of life after Tatum is caught trying to satisfy his own curiosity.The climax is young Tatum becoming an Eagle Scout and overcoming his physical handicaps. The film seems to be almost a commercial for the Foster Care system and for the Boy Scouts. Since the time Room For One More Was Made, both institutions have come in for their share of criticism from various sources.In 1962 Room For One More was made into a television series by Warner Brothers starring Andrew Duggan and Peggy McCay, but it only lasted for one season.But the film has endured as a family classic and likely to remain so. The leads are in fine form and they get good support from the adult and child supporting cast.