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5.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Broadway to Hollywood remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for the kind of dusty, black-and-white theatrical melodrama that doesn't exist anymore. If you need a tight, fast-paced plot, you are going to hate this—it wanders around like a lost prop man. But if you want to see Mickey Rooney and Jackie Cooper show up in the same orbit, it’s worth a look.
The whole thing feels like a scrapbook that’s been left out in the rain. It follows this vaudeville couple, the Hackers, and their never-ending quest to stay relevant.
It’s not trying to be a deep character study. It’s mostly an excuse to string together a bunch of musical numbers and stage sketches. Sometimes it works, and other times it just feels like watching someone else’s family home movies, but with better lighting.
Jimmy Durante is in this, and naturally, he steals every single scene he’s in just by breathing. He has this way of looking at the camera that says, 'I know this script is nonsense, but let’s have fun anyway.' His presence is the only thing keeping the middle act from completely falling apart.
There is a sequence involving a grand stage performance that goes on for what feels like an hour. It’s probably only ten minutes, but I swear the extras in the back started to look tired. You can practically see them wondering when their lunch break is.
I couldn't help but compare the erratic pacing to So This Is Hollywood. Both movies seem to treat the actual plot as a secondary concern, something to be dealt with only after the musical numbers are finished.
Seeing a young Mickey Rooney pop up near the end was a bit jarring. He’s already got that hyper-energetic, 'look at me' intensity that eventually defined his whole career. He’s a lot.
The dialogue is often clunky, filled with the kind of 'gee-whiz' earnestness that makes modern ears itch. People don't talk like that, but maybe they did in 1933? It feels like the writers were terrified of a single second of silence.
I found myself wondering if this film was meant to be a cautionary tale or a love letter. It tries to be both, which usually means it succeeds at neither. It’s messy, sure, but it’s a *sincere* kind of mess.
If you’re looking for a film that feels like a polished machine, look elsewhere. This is more like a pile of dusty costumes and broken stage lights. It’s got a weird, frantic energy that I kinda liked, even if it didn't really know where it was going. 🎩✨
IMDb 6.5
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