A brilliantly acted social satire, replete with Joseph L. Mankiewicz's wit and elegance. The film depicts a cross section of the society in a small American town focusing on the emotional preoccupations of three wives from different social origins. Mankiewicz develops vivid characters and incisively examines the social mores of the time. He maintains a fine balancy between sympathy and satire, while his facility with witty dialogue keeps all the potential soap opera elements at bay. A delightfully subtle comedy filmed with a tangible grace that is missing from similar offerings nowadays.

Despite its comedy premise, A Letter to Three Wives is actually a strong and well-observed drama, a study in insecurity, as three women receive a letter from a common acquaintance, telling them she's run off with ONE of their husbands. Before we find out the truth (which isn't the twist/reveal I was expecting), we dive into each of their memories, presenting their relationships at key moments that might reveal that their spouse, indeed, left them to be with the mysterious Addie Ross. At first, I thought the acting was a little old-fashioned and stilted. Once we got into the back story, the more real emotional content was exposed, the less that seemed to be true - perhaps it was a stylistic choice to show marriages lacking spark - and by the final act I was completely invested. I'd even say it was touching, and not entirely from an expected source. While a strong drama about relationship "mind killers" that get into our heads and create doubt, it's not without its humor, in particular thanks to Thelma Ritter's jaded maid; if you loved her in Rear Window, you'll love her here.

Truly a wonderful romantic comedy with a serious edge. The characters are all fleshed out brilliantly over the course of its runtime, even Addie Ross shines in one of the most innovative uses of a character that I've ever seen (or perhaps haven't seen, haha.) The script never strays into dull territory and keeps you engaged throughout all of it.