Charley Pearl, wealthy heir and gadabout, is slated to marry Adele, the daughter of a Hollywood tycoon. But, during a wild bachelor party in Las Vegas, Charley strikes up a flirtation with nightclub crooner Vicki Anderson that soon leads to her bedroom. When the couple are discovered by Vicki's beau, infamous gangster Bugsy Siegel, he makes a surprising pronouncement -- they'd better marry, or Charley is a dead man.
There's more juice in the story than I usually expect from Neil Simon; the characters don't just trade one-liners, but get under each other's skins.
– Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
The Marrying Man isn't awful; it's something much less fun - conspicuously mediocre.
– Peter Travers,
Rolling Stone,
12 May 2001
rotten:
"The Marrying Man" seems to have died en route from Neil Simon's brain to the movie theater, but exactly where and why is anybody's guess. An autopsy by a professional is in order.
– Vincent Canby,
New York Times,
30 Aug 2004
rotten:
It's hard to spot vintage Neil Simon in his screenplay for this indulgent comedy...
– Derek Adams,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
rotten:
A stillborn romantic comedy of staggering ineptitude.