Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

arfdawg-1 The Plot. On a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles via Iowa, lawyer David Trask gets to know three of his fellow passengers as one technical issue after another leads to delays and unscheduled stops along the way. Those three are physician Dr. Robert Fortness, struggling actress with the stage name Binky Gay, and loud salesman Eddie Hoke, who is both quick with a joke and quick to show off a photograph of his beautiful wife, Marie Hoke. Below the surface, the three have deeper stories, which are bringing them back to Los Angeles and which Dr. Fortness and Binky divulge to David. Dr. Fortness, an alcoholic, is returning to own up to his drunken part in the death of a friend, and his wife Claire's complicity in the matter. Binky, after being away in New York for a year, is returning to her husband, Mike Carr, hoping to take him away from his overbearing mother, former vaudeville star Sally Carr, who still basks in her former but no longer shining glory, and who is the cause of any marital problems.This is described as a Film Noir but it's not. It's really a sort of trilogy drama. There are essentially three separate life stories that unfold around one character.Two of the stories are OK but Bette Davis's segment is really really bad. She's aged and does not give an especially good performance. She's got a decade before her grande guignol performance in films like The Nanny or Baby Jane, etc.Over all the movie is rather lackluster and heavy handed. I'm very surprised at the good reviews.The most interesting thing for me to see was that EVERY BODY smoked -- including the doctors in the hospital!!!

Tad Pole " . . . crashes to the bottom of the sea? A good start!" happens to be one of Leader Trump's favorite jokes, according to Fox News. After the Troubles so-called feminist lawyers have recently wreaked upon Fox (forcing out founder Mr. Aisles and Factotum Billy O'Reilly, among others) it's very refreshing to see a Fox Movie which goes against the grain of such Pinko Flicks as INHERIT THE WIND and ERIN BROCKOVICH to reveal Legal "Counsels" as the True Sleaze Bags that they actually are. PHONE CALL FROM A STRANGER deals with a runaway dad attorney named "David Trask." Davey gets his jollies by making the rounds of plane crash victims' surviving family members, in order to invent tall tales and wild fantasies concerning the deceased. He violates the Socratic Oath time after time, intruding upon grieving families during their Darkest Hours with frivolous anecdotes totally discordant Vis a Vis Real Life Needs. Leader Trump's Reelection Platform doubtless will include a plank to outlaw thoughtless legal beagles such as STRANGER's David Trask!

Spikeopath Phone Call from a Stranger is directed by Jean Negulesco and adapted to screenplay by Nunnally Johnson from a story by I.A.R. Wylie. It stars Shelley Winters, Gary Merrill, Michael Rennie, Keenan Wynn, Evelyn Varden, Warren Stevens, Beatrice Straight, Ted Donaldson, Craig Stevens, Helen Westcott and Bette Davis. Music is by Franz Waxman and cinematography by Milton Krasner. Lawyer David Trask (Merrill), leaving his family troubles behind, survives a plane crash and decides to call on the families of the people he made friends with during the trip... Utterly lovely drama, a film that boasts quality across the board. How great to see a picture that affords characters time to breath and impact on the story, impact that becomes four fold come the wonderfully humanistic finale. Story is structured as a two play piece, first act lets us into David Trask's pain and builds three characters around him as the so called "Four Musketeers" become friends during a troubled aeroplane journey. We get to know them and wonder what their home life is like, their secrets and tribulations, and then the walls come tumbling down and the story shifts into sombre tones to lead us down paths adorned with thoughtfulness and intelligence. There's a hint of contrivance and some moral grey areas, yet this rises well above the minor quibbles to become a film of dramatic emotional strength. Beautifully performed by the principal players, it forces us to question that things may not always be as they first appear. It also has meditations on grief, second chances and that out of pain can come good, the human interest value here extraordinarily high. Yes! This is a most under seen and under appreciated bit of classic era cinema, its rewards just waiting to be discovered by more film loving fans. Go on, seek it out, come the finale you will feel better for it. 8/10

dbdumonteil "Phone call from a stranger" is an unique movie.However much I search my memory,I cannot find a movie like this one,with the exception of Peter Weir's remarkable (and overlooked ,people liking weepies such as "dead poets society" best)"Fearless"(1993) where James Bridge,being a survivor from a plane crash ,calls his life into question.Exactly what Gary Merill does in "Phone call" :there's no doubt about it,Negulesco's work was ahead of its time .Using "subjective "flashbacks (the over possessive mother remembering her daughter-in-law in an almost eerie scene),a disturbing atmosphere in the first part -in spite of a good share of humor- on the plane or in the airport,a complex screenplay including an unexpected last scene - The photograph of Bette Davis wearing a swimsuit is a stroke of genius-,Negulesco made a sleeper which young generations will discover (no remake needed ,please).When we meet the hero,he is not that nice .By changing the others' life (the last picture of Beatrice Straight and Ted Donaldson is deeply moving ,and at the same time avoids pathos which mars melodrama so badly with any lesser talent)he will learn sympathy for the others,compassion and above all forgiving.That will be his last call for tonight :words of pardon;when you see broken families,all you've got to do is thank God to have yours.As Christ said: He who never sinned ......