That Funny Feeling Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

That Funny Feeling Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 8, 2025

Richard Thorpe's "That Funny Feeling" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

That Funny Feeling works for the very reason Houseboat does not. In the former, Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee share a wonderful chemistry before the camera, making a lot of the very silly material attractive and hilarious. In the latter, Cary Grant and Sophia Loren look good before the camera, but their chemistry is off and the overwhelming majority of the silly material that should look attractive and hilarious does not. Of course, this is hardly surprising because both films were conceived with the same blueprint.

In That Funny Feeling, Darin plays Tom Milford, a busy businessman who hires a maid to clean up regularly his fancy bachelor pad. Dee plays Joan Howell, the maid, who wants to be an actress and barely makes ends meet. Because the arrangement is made over the phone, the businessman has no idea who the maid is, and the maid has no idea who the businessman is. Shortly after, on a typically busy day in New York City, the businessman bumps into the maid, she falls, and he helps her get up and go to work, not realizing that she is heading to his place.

Before the day ends, the businessman and the maid meet again, only this time after their taxis collide. Having canceled an urgent trip, the businessman invites the maid to have a drink with him at a nearby bar, and an hour or so later, she allows him to escort her back to his place, which she lies is hers. The maid lies because the apartment she shares with her best friend is unsuitable for a young lady. Perplexed but intrigued by his date and her game, the businessman lets her finish what she has started and temporarily moves to his partner’s (Donald O’Connor) luxurious place. However, in the days ahead, as the two continue to see each other, and while the pretending and lies grow bigger and bolder, it becomes impossible to deny that they have fallen in love, and each confronts the other with difficult questions about what is and isn’t real.

Any rational viewer will easily see the huge fallacies in David Schwartz’s screenplay, and just as easily recognize that Richard Thorpe’s direction effectively downplays them. However, right from the get-go it is painfully obvious that That Funny Feeling does not aim to impress the rational crowd, but the hopelessly romantic crowd. Naturally, if one keeps this in mind That Funny Feeling instantly begins making perfect sense.

The entire narrative is structured around the pretending and the lies, so they must be made to appear and sound charming. While the light humor that permeates it helps a bit, all of the transformative magic is generated by the wonderful chemistry between Darin and Dee, which is authentic and very attractive. This may sound like an enormously simplistic explanation of why That Funny Feeling works, but it is absolutely true. It is why these romantic comedies were so risky -- without a stellar chemistry between their stars, they were doomed.

That Funny Feeling was not a big production and, unfortunately, it easily shows. For example, several sets and decors look very modest and the illusion that Darin and Dee are in New York City, not on the Universal lot in Southern California, never materializes. Also, there is quite a bit of footage where Clifford Stine’s lensing leaves the impression that only the bare minimum was done and quickly.

Nevertheless, Darin and Dee are a lovely couple and as their awkward romance blossoms virtually everything that could and should have been done better becomes irrelevant. So, despite not being an original and great looking romantic comedy, That Funny Feeling is very much worth spending ninety minutes with.

That Funny Feeling Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, That Funny Feeling arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The overall quality of the visuals is very good. I do not think that there is any room for substantial improvements. Grain exposure could be a bit more convincing and in a few areas density levels superior, but the impact of these improvements will be minimal. For bigger and far more convincing upgrades, you would have to consider a native 4K presentation, sourced from a superior master that manages the dynamic range of the visuals differently. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Color reproduction and balance are excellent. All primaries and supporting nuances are very healthy, lush, and properly set. Image stability is very good. The surface of the visuals is healthy and spotless. All in all, this release offers a very attractive organic presentation of That Funny Feeling. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

That Funny Feeling Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Bobby Darin contributed behind the camera as well. However, his music, while quite good, does not create any excitement. It has only a supporting role, and even in areas where it is easy to appreciate what it does, dynamic contrasts are quite modest. All dialog is very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Balance is very good. I did not encounter any age-related anomalies to report in our review.

That Funny Feeling Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for That Funny Feeling. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

That Funny Feeling Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you suddenly find yourself wanting to view a nice old-fashioned romantic comedy whose stars are perfectly matched, That Funny Feeling can be exactly what you are looking for. It is not a great film, not even close, but it does pretty much everything right, and once its final credits appear on your screen, you will feel that your expectations have been met. This year, That Funny Feeling celebrates its 60th anniversary, and while it has not been treated like other similar but bigger films, I think that it looks lovely on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.