Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Charles Herold (cherold) In Nine Lives Aren't Enough, a pre-politician Ronald Reagan plays a brash reporter with a tendency to add some fiction and conjecture to his stories, much to the irritation of editor Howard Da Silva. Lucking into a big story during a police ride-along, he soon finds himself dodging thugs, foiling competition, and charming the pretty Joan Perry.The cast is solid and the movie is generally pretty amusing, but it also exhibits all the sloppiness typical of B movies. Characters are little more than one character trait, and Perry is weirdly chipper and flirtatious for someone who just lost their father *that* *day*. It's very watchable, but not especially memorable.

Michael Morrison When I saw this the first time, years ago, I was struck by the performances of Howard Da Silva and Peter Whitney, whose work I knew from their later films.And I was struck. Howard Da Silva is one of those actors I think can do no wrong. What a talent.Peter Whitney is called "fearsome" in his mini-bio here at IMDb, but in "Nine Lives Are Not Enough" he is anything but. This is a difficult, very non-PC role, and it's hard to believe Whitney was just beginning his acting career.Ronald Reagan's forte was not slapstick, and he seems a bit awkward in some of the knockabout scenes, but other times, as the slightly bashful guy, he is very good.Again, since this is a Warner Brothers product, the cast is just great, again with so many superb talents who don't get credit, such as John Hamilton, who must have made 500 movies with no credit.Hamilton's most famous role was as Perry White, editor at the Metropolis Daily Planet, and his most famous line was probably "Don't call me 'chief'!" Reagan's reporter, Matt Sawyer, continually calls Howard Da Silva's editor "chiefie," which is even funnier in the context of Hamilton's presence."Nine Lives" might not be great cinema, but it is great fun.

Michael_Elliott Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941)** 1/2 (out of 4) Warner "B" mystery has a millionaire being found dead but it's unclear whether it's suicide or murder. A news reporter (Ronald Reagan) feels it's murder with a local crook behind it but his editor doesn't believe it but the victim's daughter (Joan Perry) does. Soon the two are working together to try and bring justice to her father. This is a fairly entertaining film that mixes the mysteries with the laughs very well, although in the end the story just isn't strong enough to fill the short 63-minute running time. The first forty-minutes are pretty fast paced and we get quite a few laughs with Reagan turning in a fine performance. It's nothing great or ground breaking but it suits the film just fine. Most of the comic relief comes from Peter Whitney who is wonderful in the role of Roy, a dimwitted fool who constantly gets himself in the middle of things. His comic timing is very good as is his way of playing the slow and stupid character. The rest of the cast are decent enough to help the film but none of them really stick out. I grew a little tired during the final act, which really isn't a good thing considering how short the movie is. Fans of "B" movies will want to check this out but others might want to avoid.

ksf-2 Mr. President aka Ronald Reagan plays reporter Matt Sawyer, who needs to get a big story, and get it right after bungling up the last story. Viewers will recognize James Gleason as Sergeant Daniels, the thin, blustery, over-confident cop who means well, and usually lucks into the right solution. He was in all "The Falcon" movies, and Arsenic and Old Lace. Sawyer and a reporter for the competition play tricks on each other to get the stories in first. When a famous businessman turns up face down, its Sawyer's job to find out what really happened, even when he's thrown off the paper. Story moves along pretty quickly, except that at one point, Reagan looks into the camera and seems to talk to the viewer. Joan Perry plays the dead man's wife, and that was the last role she did, after marrying Harry Cohn in 1941. Ed Brophy is Officer Slattery, sidekick to Sgt. Daniels. Sounding like one of the Three Stooges, he had ALSO been in the "Falcon" series of films. With gangsters, mistresses, and the mentally challenged, this comedy/whodunnit has a little of everything. Listen closely when J.B. the editor speaks - that's Howard DaSilva, who played Louie Mayer in Mommie Dearest. Has a very distinctive voice. One of Reagan's more fun films, this is from the novel by Jerome Odlum, who had written several novels turned into movies.