Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946)

Written by CinemaSerf on July 7, 2022

There's really only so far the charming Mickey Rooney can take this before it just falls a bit flat! He is the eponymous lad, returning from the war head over heels in love with "Kay" (Bonita Granville). His delighted parents (Fay Holden and Lewis Stone) welcome him with open arms, even remarking on his new streak of independence. Unfortunately for him, though - his beau's attentions lie elsewhere and that comes as quite a shock to our jovial wee fella. What ensues is a gently comedic series of escapades that raise a smile, if not exactly uproarious laughter, but that wear thin quite quickly. Save for the additional appearance of Dorothy Ford as his deep-voiced, elegantly tall friend "Coffy", and for a decent effort from Stone as his father, the film would rate little better the a bit of amiable post-war feel good entertainment. As it is, though, it's really just a well enough paced vehicle for the cheeky chappy at the top of the bill, and like the bulk of the other "Andy" films is largely forgettable.