Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by George B. Seitz, with a screenplay by William Ludwig, this slightly above average family comedy-drama sprinkled with innocent teenage romance marks the fourth in the (Andy Hardy) series based on Aurania Rouverol's play (Skidding), which began with A Family Affair (1937).Mickey Rooney plays the titled character, a rambunctious 17 year old, and Lewis Stone plays his wise, caring father (and) Judge Hardy. Cecilia Parker plays Andy's, frequently separated from her husband, married older sister. Fay Holden, who plays Andy's mother in the series, is absent for most of this film's story as is Aunt Millie, played by Betty Ross Clarke, who took Sara Haden's place in a couple of these films. 'Mother' has gone to see and stay with her mother, who'd just had a stroke, and Millie goes too. Ann Rutherford plays Andy's girlfriend Polly Benedict, as usual, but the story in this one features some conflicts in their relationship:Andy's friend 'Beezy' (George Breakston) asks him to 'keep' (by dating) his girlfriend Cynthia Potter (Lana Turner, in her fifth film) away from the other boys while he's out of town during Christmas break. Since Polly is also to be away for the Christmas holiday, and Beezy is willing to pay Andy the eight dollars he needs to buy a car (he'd already paid $12), Andy agrees ... though kissing is the only thing she (Lana Turner!) wants to do and, inexplicably, this becomes tiresome for him.Simultaneously, Betsy Booth (16 year old Judy Garland, in only her second pairing with Rooney, playing a 13 year old) comes to visit her family, that lives next door to the Hardys, for Christmas. Naturally, she (sings and) soon meets Andy and develops a crush on him. At first, this further complicates Andy's love life; but later, she helps him out of a couple of inevitable jams:Beezy meets another girl while away (in Chicago?) and tells Andy that he can have Cynthia AND Polly returns home early, in time to attend a Christmas Eve dance to which, unbeknownst to her, Andy had already promised to take Cynthia.Throughout the film, Judge Hardy listens to the problems of his children and gives sage advice and/or comfort. For his part, Rooney is particularly animated as Andy, swinging between the exuberant highs of teenage dating and the doldrums of adolescence.

tavm I had originally watched this on VHS back in the '90s and I remember enjoying this very much then, my first viewing of an Andy Hardy movie. The fact this was Judy Garland's first appearance in the series was the main reason I sought this out and boy, she's sensational when she sings here! Now that I'm watching each entry in sequence, I noticed how past eps are referenced such as Andy mentioning to Betsy Booth (Ms. Garland's character) teaching the Big Apple to some diplomats in Washington, D.C., in Judge Hardy's Children. Anyway, Andy is in a real pickle: He wants a car but he doesn't have enough money so he agrees-with pay-to date Cynthia (a young Lana Turner) while her boyfriend-and Andy's pal-Beezy is away while Polly (Ann Rutherford, of course) is also somewhere else. Betsy herself has a crush on Andy but he's oblivious to her. Judy really shows her feelings clearly here when playing her as a bit disappointed with how Mickey goes into how much he loves Polly or was initially excited by Cynthia. There's also a subplot of Emily and Milly having to leave to visit their mother when she's revealed to be in a coma which has Fay Holden and Betty Ross Clarke off-screen much of the time. Anyway, this was a most enjoyable entry of the Hardy family series mainly because of the three songs sung by Ms. Garland as well as Mickey's scenes with her and Lana Turner. Also, nice seeing the future Grandmama from "The Addams Family" (Blossom Rock, then known as Marie Blake) as the temporary family cook and Gene Reynolds-later a producer/director of "Hogan's Heroes" and "M*A*S*H"-as a kid who uses a ham radio to relay a message to Mrs. Hardy in Canada. So on that note, Love Finds Andy Hardy is highly recommended. P.S. The DVD I watched this on had a wonderful intro by John Fricke with a brief insert interview with Ms. Rutherford herself.

bkoganbing In Love Finds Andy Hardy, love descends upon Mickey Rooney like an invading army. It's amazing how he managed to get free from all of his romantic entanglements. But when you've got Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and Ann Rutherford all chasing you in the same film, you must be doing something right.Those who followed the doings of the Hardy family in the theaters back in the day and on TCM now are aware of Mickey's girl friend Ann Rutherford who plays Polly Benedict in the series. Ann's going away from Carvel for the Christmas holidays and Andy has no one to take to the winter dance. Then at the same time he meets Judy Garland who is staying next door to the Hardys visiting an aunt and gets introduced to his friend Beezy's girl friend Lana Turner. Somehow the image of Lana Turner ever going out with a person named 'Beezy' doesn't compute.Still Beezy who is played in the series by George Breakston is also going out of town and before long Rooney's got two dates to the dance with Garland and Turner and an unexpected Ann Rutherford returning home.Now since this was right in the beginning of the Hardy series, you know Mickey got out of it and lived to romance another day. But Love Finds Andy Hardy if it belongs to anyone in the cast, the film is definitely Judy Garland's. Her personality so winning, there was never a question about her becoming a great star. She has some good songs to sing with In-Between and It Never Rains, But What It Pours which she sings well, but should have been Mickey's theme for this film.What I liked best in the film is how Judy with a little psychology managed to get Rooney out of his entanglement with Turner. That's worth seeing the film alone for. There is also a couple of nice subplots involving a wayward juvenile before Judge Hardy played by Gene Reynolds and the fact that Mother (Fay Holden) is away at Christmas time tending to her mother. Love Finds Andy Hardy is an average film for the series, but it's a milestone in that two screen legends who were very different types on the screen got significant career boosts from this film.

ccthemovieman-1 This is very corny in spots, especially with the goofy faces Mickey Rooney makes with the girls. They are so childish they get annoying quickly. However, he stops doing that fairly soon, thankfully.Even though these Andy Hardy films are sappy, there is a certain charm to them. Of note in this film is a very young Lana Turner and a young Judy Garland, whose songs are so-so in here. She plays an appealing role but is not convincing as a 12-year-old. She looks physically more mature than pre-teen.Lewis Stone, meanwhile, is perhaps the best character in this film as he was in most movies in this series. I really liked his hear-to-heart talk with Rooney. In an old-fashioned way, it's nice to see a teen with a great rapport with his parents. Some may not believe it, but it DOES happen in some families!!