Sunday, February 02, 2020

Movie review - "If I Had a Million" (1932) ***

These films work better I feel if you recognise all the stars - some I did, others not so much, but it did come out in 1932. Because there's something like eight chapters it's hard to dig in to any of them - but they were generally entertaining and full of variety.

There's quite a few with older protagonists, befitting a time when Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery were big draws - Charles Ruggles smashes up china, Charles Laughton blows a raspberry, May Robson leads a mutiny in an old folks home. Alice Skipworth and WC Fields amble about. George Raft is quite funny as a con man who can't cash his check; Gary Cooper, for all he irritates me, does radiate charisma as a soldier on leave with Jack Oakie and another mate. Gene Raymond is touching as a man on death row - I liked the seriousness of this. Because it's pre Code they are allowed to do one about a hooker who gets to go to bed alone.

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