Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are particularly shoved to the side in this outing, as Roberta primarily concerns itself with the love affair between an American football player (Randolph Scott) and the fashion designer (Irene Dunne) who runs his aunt’s clothing business in Paris. Scott’s a dud and no comparison to one of Dunne’s frequent costars, Cary Grant. Meanwhile, her plaintive solo numbers are no comparison to the few times Astaire and Rogers get to share the screen together. He plays Scott’s bandleader friend, looking to set up a regular gig in Paris, while she’s a Midwest girl from his past who’s posing as a European countess. Roberta turns on all sorts of culture clashes — much of the action takes place at a Russian-themed nightclub — but it all feels unimaginatively hermetic. Still, there is pleasure in Astaire and Rogers floating, a foot apart, to “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” as well as the elaborate, heavily furred gowns that the fashion setting allows.
