Monday, September 02, 2019

Movie review - "My Lucky Star" (1938) **1/2

20th Century Fox didn't take chances with Sonja Henie's fourth film - Cesar Romeo is back as a fake love interest and there's a repeat of the extremely unfunny scene in Happy Landings where Henie and her date are accosted by a wacky ethnic shop keeper. Was this ever considered funny?

The set up of this one isn't as strong, though - Hennie is paid to be a walking mannequin at a college, an influencer... I assume they came up with this to get her into a lot of different outfits. This is a sort of marketing it's true but it feels silly - just like it feels silly there's a college that's so snowbound. Why even set it at college? Why not just have a winter resort? I guess they were trying to be different so good on them. And there are stakes about being expelled.

Gypsy Rose Lee pops up as a female threat. There's also Joan Davis the comic and Buddy Ebsen so the support cast is pretty good. Richard Greene is a weak romantic lead. He's got the looks but can't act - he seems like a second lieutenant roped into some amateur dramatics. When he yells and carries on he's particularly amateurish. He's not as good as Don Ameche. He and Henie pretend to sing a line or two but soon go back to playing it straight.

The film is hampered by Greene and the silly set up but has a pleasant winter atmosphere and some spectacular skating sequences particularly one at the end, a tribute to Alice in Wonderland - which makes you wish Fox had tried Henie in a full on fantasy at some stage.

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