Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

vincentlynch-moonoi As is often the case, I disagree that this can be described as a comedy. You know...all those funny situations -- divorce, children getting polio, and so forth. Rather, it's about some individuals who struggle through life by being able to see the joy and humor in it.How true this story is, I don't know, but it is at least based on some real people. That's the recipe for nostalgia, and it comes across nicely.It's only been in the past several years, as a result of broadcasts on TCM, that I realized how many interesting films Rosaland Russell made; I always thought of her more as a stage actress. Russell often brought life to roles that were just a little bit different than the typical lead in films. She does that here.Jack Carson, in films and on television, could come across as very likable or as a blow-hard. Here he is former as the man who comes to the rescue of a mother with several children who has fallen upon hard times, even though she did it with a stiff upper lip. BTW, Carson doesn't come into the film until almost halfway through it. Carson was always best when he underplayed a role.A couple of actors have small but nice roles here -- Donald Woods (as husband #1), Alan Hale, Sr., and Ray Collins.Life wasn't always good to these folks (is it ever?), but you could admire their..."pluck".Pleasant, nostalgic look at the last century up to WWII.

robert-259-28954 When Robert Osborne said, "This is a real gem," I decided to watch... he doesn't lie. Being a big Rosalind Russell fan since "Auntie Mame," I'm both surprised and delighted that I did! In these early days, there was no such thing as "women's lib" or women's rights, or anything of the kind. That's why I believe this film is a truly ground breaking work of classic film. Unlike the "Pollyannish" movies of this era that tried to make light of those Depression era times with things like big MGM musicals that tried to sugar coat the difficulties of those days, this film takes on a myriad of historical troubles in a way that is both heartbreaking and incredibly optimistic (kudos, incidentally, to a superb star turn by Jack Carson in another wonderful characterization). It never preaches or feels sorry for itself—much like the female protagonist—but continually moves forward without getting bogged down in self-pity, which the characters certainly had the right to. It doesn't pull any punches. I suppose the best way to describe it is: "A tale of towering highs and gut wrenching lows, with the indomitable spirit of man aways conquering adversity." But a far better way of learning the many important lesson this entertaining film has to offer is simply by watching it.

krdement Long after this movie's release, the term "Slice of Life" was coined to describe films such as this. I dislike labels, and I especially tend to dislike modern films for which this term was coined. However, it seems like an apt label for this movie which I paradoxically love. (This comment provides as much insight into film history as it does into my own character.) I admit to being a sentimentalist. Consequently Slice of Life films from the thirties to the late forties usually appeal to me far more than later films. A lot of Slice of Life movies since the late forties seem to me to be rather pointless, rather tragic - or worse - both! Like any art form, films express the ethos of the culture in which they are made. I sometimes lament the passing of the society that produced Slice of Life films from the thirties to the late forties...Roughly Speaking is a film that is full of tragic events, but none seem pointless or even tragic. In that sense it is moralistic. As their dialog during the film's fadeout clearly indicates, Rosalind Russell and Jack Carson seem made for each other in their twin indomitable spirits. That spirit imbues this entire film with optimism. If the film seems at times to be overly sentimental (even maudlin to some), I think it is because today most people think of that kind of optimism, itself, as overly sentimental. Raised by parents who experienced the Great Depression and WWII, I can imagine a time when such optimism was not deemed overly sentimental or unbelievable. This film epitomizes that time and those people, and it speaks to my heart and soul. It inspires me and makes me yearn today for such a milieu, in a retrospective way that was not possible for audiences at the time of the film's release. So, for me this movie has grown in stature and improved with age.Russell is one of those actresses who is capable of delivering a performance that evokes laughter and yet tugs at your heartstrings. Carson is not usually seen in roles that offer him the opportunity to portray such nuanced characters. Here he is, and he shines. He was one of the era's great "second bananas." When I see him in a film such as this or Mildred Pierce, I regret that he wasn't given more meaty, starring roles. In this movie Russell is the strength and Carson is the vision - they are a great team, and I enjoyed seeing them grow old together.The ending does come rather abruptly. Yet for those who lived through WWII, there is enough foreshadowing for the rest of the story to be imagined in a general sense. Hardly any family that sent as many sons to the war was blessed to see them all return home. This family had seen plenty of hardship, and would, no doubt, see more. But it would overcome...This doesn't seem overly sentimental to me - just optimistic.

Edouardo Having lived throughout the depression and the Presidency of F D R, I was pleasantly surprised when I happened upon Roughly Speaking on T C M last week. Somehow,in all these years of movie going and viewing,I never had a clue about this moving film.The author expertly weaves into the plot glimpses of those bygone days.. The early airplanes,the the struggle to ride out the lean times. The staid mother's daughter having fought the same crippling disease as had the President,the stock market crash the early war years. Her heart wrenching scene watching all three sons go off to war.Although the movie depicted the triumph over adversity women of the thirties/forties achieved, the young women of today are the daughters and grand daughters of the multi taskers of my mother's dayI wholeheartedly recommend this movie to all American women. Edouarto.