Monkey Business (1952) - Howard Hawks

Dr. Barnaby is a highly intelligent, absent-minded chemist whose been working on a formula designed to revitalize older adults on both a mental and physical level.  Seeking the "fountain of youth", Dr. Barnaby's experiments have yielded little breakthroughs.   That all changes when a lab monkey, who escaped from its cage, randomly mixes the chemicals yielding precisely the formula he was looking for.  When Dr. Barnaby takes the formula himself he is transformed into a carefree teenager, spending a harmless afternoon on the town with his bosses lush secretary, which rouses the ire of his wife.  Howard Hawk's Monkey Business is a enjoyable screwball comedy centered around how a youth formula effects the relationship of a married couple in Dr. Barnaby and his wife, Edwina.  This is a film very much in the mold of Hawk's other screwball comedies, though it pales in comparison to films like Bringing up Baby or Ball of Fire.  Monkey Business is a film which encapsulates the notion of "You're only as old as you feel", with the youth formula only causing insecurity and strife to bubble to the surface of the couples' relationship.  This must have been a very fun movie to make, with both Carey Grant and Ginger Rogers getting to play hyper, unhinged versions of themselves when portraying the effects of the formula.  Hawks takes full advantage of the concept, capturing the high contrast personality differences between youth and maturity, as these two characters run amok.  With Monkey Business, Howard Hawks seems less concerned with the dramatic beats of the story, opting instead to simply create a fun, screwball comedy that isn't too concerned with being anything but care-free. 

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