Landmark early talkie with timeless songs by Rogers and Hart, which has the reputation of one of the great musical comedies. Rouben Mamoulian was a fine director, but this plainly has the Lubitsch touch; it's a version of a high society European play set in Paris which employs many Lubitsch regulars, including Maurice Chevalier and a script by Samuel Hoffenstein.
But Mamoulian fills the film with audacious moments of his own. Including the staging of Isn't it Romantic? which starts with Maurice singing in his tailor shop, then spreads across the city all the way to the balcony of the woman he will fall in love with. The tradesman chases up a debt in a country estate and gets caught up in the arcane lunacy of the upper class.
There's an abundance of pre-code innuendo and sophisticated romance. Maurice and Jeanette MacDonald are even in bed together! There are weaknesses. Jeanette's operatic vocals haven't dated well and she lacks charisma. It's a satire of the aristocracy, but those characters are so entitled that they are difficult to care for. The hunting scenes are unpleasant.
The bonus is a stunning, elegant Myrna Loy who steals all her scenes from the female star. But it's Maurice who brings joy, whether his infectious comic sparkle or his vivid interpretations of the classic songs, including his standard, Mimi. Maybe not everything works, but it's so fertile with innovation and imagination that there's still plenty to love.