Starring: Claudette Colbert, Clark Gable
What can you even say about this movie? Seriously, it's hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made, and though I only saw it surprisingly recently, I honestly can't really argue with that. But legacy aside, what is this movie? Claudette Colbert plays a spoiled heiress running away from her controlling father. She's on her way to New York, when she meets Peter Warne, a down on his luck reporter who sees the perfect story in her. The two make their way across the country, and of course, fall madly in love with each other along the way. It's a simple premise sure, but I think what makes it work are the two leads. They're chemistry is natural, with their banter being well written and witty. Clark Gable is hilarious in this movie. His dialogue is so quick and effortless that he never fails to get a laugh. Claudette Colbert is also great, playing the straight (wo)man to Gable's never ending string of quips. They have this fantastic back and forth, and it really makes this movie. It's so flowing and funny without trying to be, and that's not an easy thing to do.
I think this movie invented most of the tropes and clichés attributed to both road trip movies and romantic comedies, or at the very least defined them. You've got everything, from the series of mishaps, to the memorable side characters, running away from the wedding, and the inevitable moment when the to leads fall for each other. But it never feels sappy or overly sweet. It invokes tropes, but never relies on them. It feels very genuine, and that's because of both the fantastic acting, and the great writing. Maybe it's because it was one of the first films to use these tropes, but I'm not too sure that's why it works. I think it works so well due to how strong these characters are. If you're genre savvy, you can tell that they'll get together, but even so, it does feel real. The connection these two build does feel genuine, and that's what makes the ending plausible. The romance isn't shoehorned in because why not, it's used as character development. Ellie realizes her impulsive nature, while Peter realizes how stubborn he is. It feels very sincere, and works in the movie's favour.
As fantastic as this movie is, it does have a few flaws.It has dated quite a bit. Several lines were probably hilarious 82 years ago, but end up coming off as either not funny or kind of creepy. Clark Gable especially has several lines that don't sound quite right today. Look, I know it came out in 1934, but in terms of dating, this movie definitely shows it's age. Other than that? It's pretty fantastic. It Happened One Night may show it's age in places, but it's still funny, has a good story, great performances and genuine emotion. You honestly root for these two over the course of the film, and when they get together it's incredibly satisfying. I'm saying this as someone who usually isn't too big a fan of romantic comedies by the way. I think people just associate that genre with overly sweet schlock, but I highly recommend this one to the skeptics. I honestly thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I honestly think it's worthy of all of the praise it receives.
No comments:
Post a Comment