6.8/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 6.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Betty Boop's Ups and Downs remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have exactly six minutes to spare today, you should absolutely watch this. It is perfect for anyone who loves weird, rubbery old animation where logic goes to die. If you need a plot that makes sense, though, you will probably hate it. 🌀
This is Betty Boop's Ups and Downs from 1932. It is basically a fever dream put on paper.
The whole thing starts because Betty thinks everything on Earth is up for sale. Next thing you know, there is a literal sign on the planet saying "For Sale" and an auctioneer with a nose so big it has its own zip code is selling the globe.
The moon buys Earth for a single dollar. Yes, one dollar.
Once the moon takes over, he decides to pull gravity away. This is where the Fleischer brothers' animators just went wild with their ink pens.
Suddenly, everyone starts floating. But it is not like nice, graceful floating like in space movies. It is chaotic and slightly stressful.
People are trying to hold onto their houses. A guy's pants fly off because even his clothes do not want to stay down. There is a weirdly specific moment where a dog gets stretched out like a piece of warm taffy. I had to pause and rewatch that part because it looked so painful but funny.
It reminds me of the wild, lawless energy you find in early cinema, like the slapstick in The Patsy. Nobody was worried about realism back then. They just wanted to make you laugh or gasp.
"Going, going, gone!"
Betty herself does not actually do much in this one. She mostly just squeaks and floats around, showing off her trademark garter belt while holding onto a tree.
Here are some random things I noticed while watching this on my laptop:
The ending is very abrupt. Like, the cartoon just decides it is done and stops. You do not get a big lesson or a neat wrap-up.
Honestly, we need more movies like this today. Just pure, unadulterated nonsense that does not try to teach us a lesson or setup a sequel like The Last Frontier did back in the day with its serial format. It is just six minutes of creative fun.
Go find it on YouTube. It is free, it is fast, and it will definately make your day a little weirder. 🚀

IMDb 6.2
1921
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