It's amazing that the cynical Ben Hecht is responsible for the screenplay for Miracle in the Rain, the kind of tear-jerker you would figure he would go out of his way to avoid. Hecht, however, seems to have had a real soft spot -- a bit too soft, based on Miracle. Those who enjoy "weepies" will have a field day here, for Miracle unashamedly and unabashedly pulls out all the stops in search of those teardrops. Unfortunately, it goes a bit overboard on this score, which is often par for the course in this kind of film. What's more surprising are some of the structural deficiencies in the screenplay, given Hecht's usually sharp eye in this area. There's too much padding, too many extraneous side trips, with the result that not enough time is spent with Jane Wyman and Van Johnson together. Granted, the point of the film involves the strength of their union despite its brevity; even given that, however, the two are given short shrift. Director Rudolph Maté doesn't help things with his too earnest direction and with his unwillingness to explore many lighter moments to provide some contrast to the tear-jerking. Wyman and Johnson do sterling work with less-than-sterling material, and the cast in general is fine. They can't work miracles with Miracle, but they do make it worth watching.