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5.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Big Business Girl remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies where people talk like they are trying to win a race, you should probably watch this today. It is perfect for anyone who loves Pre-Code Hollywood when things were a bit more salty and less worried about being polite.
If you hate old movies where the plot feels like it was written on a napkin during a lunch break, you will likely hate this. It is very fast and very messy.
Loretta Young is only eighteen years old here. It is actually kind of insane because she acts like she has already lived three lives and seen it all.
She plays Claire McIntyre, and honestly, her eyes are so big they take up half the screen. She has this way of looking at men like they are slightly annoying insects she has to deal with to get a paycheck.
There is this one scene where she is graduating college and she looks so hopeful. Then she hits the real world and realizes it’s a dump.
She tries to get a job as a writer, but nobody cares about her degree. They just want to look at her legs.
It is very 1931. She doesn't cry about it, though; she just hikes up her skirt and gets the job.
It kind of reminds me of the vibe in The Forbidden Path, where the world is just out to get you if you're a woman alone. But Claire is much more fun to watch because she’s a hustler.
Ricardo Cortez shows up as the big boss, and man, he is oily. He has that thin mustache that basically tells you he is going to be a problem by the second act.
He isn't quite as intense as he is in Blindfold, but he’s still got that creepy energy. He keeps trying to get Claire to go on "business trips" with him.
The way she handles him is great. She is always one step ahead, even when the movie gets a bit silly.
The office sets are really cool to look at. Everything is so shiny and Art Deco, but you can tell the budget wasn't huge because the same hallway seems to appear three times.
I have to talk about Joan Blondell. She plays the roommate, and every time she is on screen, the movie gets 20% better.
She has this snappy, sarcastic way of talking that makes everyone else look slow. I wish the whole movie was just her and Loretta drinking gin and complaining about men.
Actually, there is a lot of drinking in this. People just pour themselves a glass of something the second they walk into a room.
It makes the movie feel very lived-in. Like everyone is just trying to get through the day without losing their minds.
The movie drags a bit when it goes to Paris. Claire’s husband is there trying to be a band leader, and honestly, who cares?
He is played by Frank Albertson, and he’s just kind of a wet blanket. He gets involved with a singer, and there are these long musical numbers that feel like they belong in a different movie.
I found myself checking my watch during the trumpet solos. It’s much less interesting than the office politics back in New York.
It is definitely faster than What Every Woman Wants, but the middle section is still a bit of a slog. I wanted more scenes of Claire tricking people into signing contracts.
"I'm not a lady, I'm a buisness girl!" — basically the whole vibe of the movie.
The sound quality is a bit hit-or-miss. There is this constant humming in some of the office scenes that sounds like a refrigerator is dying in the next room.
Also, the lighting is very harsh. Sometimes Loretta looks like a ghost because they blasted her with so much white light.
But the hats! The hats in this movie are incredible. There is one hat Claire wears that looks like a tiny spaceship landing on her ear.
I don't know how she kept it on her head. It’s a miracle of 1930s engineering.
The ending happens so fast you might blink and miss it. Everything gets wrapped up in about two minutes.
It isn't very satisfying, but that is how these 70-minute programmers usually work. They just stop when they run out of story.
It is worth it for the energy, though. It feels like a real person’s life, even if the plot is a bit of a stretch.
Overall, it's a fun little time capsule. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. 🍸
IMDb 6.7
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