The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
Cluny Brown
Romance · Comedy · 1946
Amateur plumber Cluny Brown gets sent off by her uncle to work as a servant at an English country estate.
Movie details
Cluny Brown
“At Last...The Stars You've Wanted - In Each Other's Arms!”
1946 Romance · Comedy 1h 40m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.2 / 10
Community rating
Amateur plumber Cluny Brown gets sent off by her uncle to work as a servant at an English country estate.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Cluny Brown?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
I Love You Again
Comedy · 1940
Boring businessman Larry Wilson recovers from amnesia and discovers he's really a con man...and loves his soon-to-be-ex wife.
The Farmer's Daughter
Comedy · 1947
After leaving her family's farm to study nursing in the city, a young woman finds herself on an unexpected path towards politics.
The Thrill of It All
Comedy · 1963
A housewife's sudden rise to fame as a soap spokesperson leads to chaos in her home life.
What a Way to Go!
Comedy · 1964
A four-time widow discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be rich.
The Egg and I
Comedy · 1947
World War II veteran Bob MacDonald surprises his new wife, Betty, by quitting his city job and moving them to a dilapidated farm in the country. While Betty gamely struggles with managing the crumbling house and holding off nosy neighbors and a recalcitrant pig, Bob makes plans for crops and livestock. The couple's bliss is shaken by a visit from a beautiful farm owner, who seems to want more from Bob than just managing her property.
Man's Favorite Sport?
Comedy · 1964
Roger Willoughby is a renowned fishing expert, who, unbeknownst to his friends, co-workers, or boss, has never cast a line in his life. One day, he crosses paths with Abigail Paige, a sweetly annoying girl who has just badgered his boss into signing Roger up for an annual fishing tournament.
That Uncertain Feeling
Comedy · 1941
A happily married woman sees a psychoanalyst and develops doubts about her husband.
The Other End of the Line
Comedy · 2007
An employee at an Indian call-center travels to San Francisco to be with a guy she falls for over the phone.
Easy Virtue
Comedy · 2008
A young Englishman marries a glamorous American. When he brings her home to meet the parents, she arrives like a blast from the future - blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the window.
Watching the Detectives
Comedy · 2007
Neil, a self-proclaimed film geek and owner of Gumshoe video, has always been content to live vicariously through his favorite films noir. But when he meets Violet, a real-life femme fatale, his mundane world gets turned upside down and the line between reality and the movies quickly begins to blur.
Where it lives
Watch in your region.
Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.
Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Ernst Lubitsch
Written by
Samuel Hoffenstein · Elizabeth Reinhardt
Charles Boyer
Adam Belinski
Jennifer Jones
Cluny Brown
Peter Lawford
Andrew Carmel
Helen Walker
Betty Cream
Reginald Gardiner
Hilary Ames
Reginald Owen
Henry Carmel
C. Aubrey Smith
Charles "Duff" Graham
Court is in session
Put Cluny Brown on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.