Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Winifred The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

dougdoepke Bouncy little musical programmer. For Lucy fans, there's little of her slap-stick comedic talents. Instead Ball gets to parade around statuesque style in high fashions of the day. And what a gorgeous young woman she was. Plot-wise, there's the usual romantic mix-ups this type musical trades on-- plus, token numbers from the bands including luscious songbird Ginny Simms, and a couple of forgettable novelty acts. Comedy's supplied by the inimitable Arnold Stang (before Milton Berle drafted him), an impish Marcy McGuire, and a gravel-voice Harold Peary soon to get his own Gildersleeve series. But get a load of Victor Mature. He's looser than I've ever seen him, mugging it up in hammy style, and a long long way from his later noir persona. The movie's pretty typical of war escapism, lots of winsome girls and brave servicemen to lighten the load. Nothing special, but a good chance to view Ball in a different kind of role, along with a goofy Victor Mature, of all things.

Richard Green This film is a most interesting and intriguing cultural document: it was released in November of 1942, or less than a year after the attack at Pearl Harbor. As most any person who paid attention in their American history class might know, the first year of the declared war against Japan, Germany and Italy did NOT go very well for the United States. Aside from the shocking losses sustained by the fleet at Pearl Harbor and by the Army Air Corps units there, and the deaths of civilians on Hawai'i, there was the slow-moving disaster in the Philippines as the Japanese forces invaded, and rolled up the resistance. U.S. and Philippino losses in that first year of the war were heavy, and the treatment of the prisoners of war there was shocking and brutal, and fairly well-known before 1945.Watching this film, now, some sixty-four years later, one almost gets the sense of this being a "mockumentary." Of course, it isn't. It's a romantic comedy. But Victor Mature and his Army buddies are entirely too happy for newly minted soldiers facing the grim reality of mortal combat.This film is a goofy, confusing and fast-paced romantic comedy. It has some nice comedic moments but the true value of this film fiction lies in the romantic music and in the performance of Lucille Ball.Personality wise, Victor Mature comes off as being kind of ... cheesy ... which is unfair because many people who have considered his entire career find in him an actor capable of subtle and nuanced performances. He could and did play 'noble and heroic' types and he could also be the less-than-acceptable Cad & Bounder. In this film he's a high-voltage goof-ball surrounded by screwball types.Film buffs who do not know much about cinema productions made during the war really ought to make it their mission to see this film the next time it comes around on Turner Classic Movies. It is fun, in the aforementioned goofy way, Ms. Ball scintillates, and the singing of Ginny Simms and the big band music is exceptional, truly exceptional.Some day, some day soon, hopefully, some august person will write a dissertation or a pop culture book on the subject of ...Where Did Rock & Roll Go Wrong ? Looking back at Bill Haley & The Comets, Buddy Holly & The Crickets, the doo-wop era and the blues-oriented vocal groups of the 1950s, most anyone can see that rock & roll music grew out of the "swing" movement in the big band era. But what happened to the genius deployed in the big band styles ? How could it have become obsolete so quickly ? Was it "television" that killed the big bands ?? Get a load of the song stylings in this peculiar film, crafted, clearly crafted, as a form of 'feel good' entertainment for the home-front at a time when the news was bad, grim and getting grimmer, and most anyone will have to ask -- where did all those brilliant singers go ??? This is a good film and got a six, but only because the plot is entirely paper-thin. But that didn't stop either Ball or Mature from hamming it up and having a very good time on the silver screen.

ptb-8 Glamorous WW2 comedy is an RKO fest of musical talent with believe it or not, those contract singing and dancing stars Lucille Ball and (yikes!) Victor Mature! He even sings with someone else's baritone too! It is like seeing GlennClose and Sylvester Stallone in a remake of HIGH SOCIETY...or maybe even Jungle Jim and Betty Grable in an imitation PHILADELPHIA STORY. It is an assembled musical with familiar but oddly placed actors and sets: RKO musicals of the 40s had MGM production values but with Republic talent. They have superb art direction and music but somehow out of place actors. HIGHER AND HIGHER is like this: lavish mansions with beautiful furniture and chandeliers, big orchestras, patios, modern nightclubs etc.....and then all these un-together actors placed in roles you might feel better if MGM or Paramount stars were there instead. Lucy is exceptionally beautiful in this film and dressed to impress. Marcie Gray, that teenage Shirley Temple of hep and jive is along for the dancing and comedy as well...so it looks totally like out-takes or a rehearsal for HIGHER AND HIGHER even more so. Good music and fun and quite expensive looking, SEVEN DAYS LEAVE is a patriotic musical of its day...but with Lucy and Victor? It all works in spite of itself.

edwardsrc "Seven Days' Leave" is a WWII-era musical comedy about a young Army soldier [Mature] who is due a large inheritance. The problem is, he must marry a certain girl [Ball] whom he does not love, in order to collect.If one is a Lucy fan, this movie is a great watch. Lucy is actually drop-dead gorgeous in this flick, more so than she had ever been in her entire career, in my opinion.Also, Harold 'The Great Gildersleeve' Peary adds to the fun, along with Marcy McGuire as the younger sister to Lucy's character.Unfortunately, this film as a whole is quite mediocre. And, Victor Mature sings twice. FFWD required.All in all, one watch of this movie is definitely worth it. The video is even worth owning if you like Lucy.