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5.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Born Lucky remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you are a completionist for 1930s British cinema or have a weirdly specific soft spot for stage-to-screen adaptations that feel like they were filmed in a broom closet. If you want a tight, punchy narrative, keep walking. This is for the folks who like their movies dusty, theatrical, and slightly off-kilter.
The story is about Mops, a waitress who wants more out of life. You know the type. She spends a lot of time looking wistful near coffee urns.
It’s not exactly This Mad World in terms of ambition. It’s smaller, quieter, and definitely more concerned with its own songs than anything resembling logic.
The songs happen whenever the movie realizes it hasn't had a melody in ten minutes. Sometimes they feel like they’ve been dropped in from another dimension. People just burst into tunes while the camera stares blankly at them.
There’s this one sequence where the transition is so abrupt it made me wonder if I’d accidentally skipped a reel. It’s bizarre. It doesn't have the grand, sweeping energy of something like Join the Circus, which at least knows what kind of show it is.
It’s a bit like watching a very old, very polite ghost try to perform a vaudeville act. It’s not trying to be Don Quichotte or anything profound. It just exists.
Sometimes the movie gets noticeably better when it stops trying to be a serious drama and just lets the characters be silly. It’s those tiny, unpolished moments that actually stick with you. The rest of it? It’s just fluff.
If you're looking for something to put on while you fold laundry, this fits the bill. Just don't expect to remember the plot by the time you're done with the socks. ☕️