Overview
A tale of love and sacrifice unfolds amidst the shadows of wealth and poverty.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melodramatic
- wistful
- sentimental
- classic movie night
- old Hollywood retrospective
What critics said
Critics generally find the film an enjoyable but overlong star melodrama whose emotional appeal is weakened by uneven construction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Fanny's identity and social influence are tied to her physical beauty, whose deterioration forces a reassessment of her values.
Fanny marries Job partly to address the Trellis family's concealed financial crisis while recognizing that she does not love him.
Fanny and Trippy pretend to remain wealthy despite creditors and the family's squandered fortune.
The story follows Fanny and Job from 1914 through marriage, parenthood, middle age, and changing circumstances.
Films like Mr. Skeffington, and why
The Old Maid
Shared focus on aging, vanity, social status, and a woman's emotional reckoning within a lavish period melodrama.
Now, Voyager
Both are star-driven classic Hollywood dramas about destructive romantic choices, social performance, and regret.
The Heiress
Comparable emphasis on a difficult marriage, changing beauty, loneliness, and late emotional transformation.
Movie Details
- Director
- Vincent Sherman
- Release Date
- 1944-05-25
- Runtime
- 145 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (76)
Cast
- Bette Davis
- Claude Rains
- Walter Abel
- George Coulouris
- Richard Waring
- Marjorie Riordan
- Robert Shayne
- John Alexander
- Jerome Cowan
- Johnny Mitchell
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mr. Skeffington about?
- A vain New York socialite enters a loveless marriage of convenience and slowly discovers that dignity and devotion matter more than beauty or status.
- What is Mr. Skeffington like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mr. Skeffington as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Mr. Skeffington violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Mr. Skeffington.
- What did critics think of Mr. Skeffington?
- Critics generally find the film an enjoyable but overlong star melodrama whose emotional appeal is weakened by uneven construction.
- Which films are like Mr. Skeffington?
- Films with a similar feel include The Old Maid, Now, Voyager, and The Heiress.
- How long is Mr. Skeffington?
- Mr. Skeffington runs 145 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mr. Skeffington?
- In United States, Mr. Skeffington streams on fuboTV.
