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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Change of Heart remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-school Hollywood fluff and want to see a bunch of legends before they were huge, sure. If you hate movies where everyone talks in that fast, snappy way that nobody has ever actually used in real life, skip it. It is pure escapism from a different era.
The whole premise is basically: "Hey, let's move to New York with no plan." Watching four friends pile into a car and head East is nostalgic, but it hits that slightly desperate tone pretty early on. They are just so incredibly cheery about being broke.
There is this one scene where they are sitting around looking at a map of NYC like it’s a treasure hunt. It felt so fake I actually laughed out loud. You can tell they are just trying to hit their marks while looking hopeful at the ceiling.
Janet Gaynor is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She has this way of looking at the camera that makes you think she knows the script is a bit thin. She carries the scenes that would otherwise just drift away into nothing.
It reminds me a little bit of the energy in Mary of the Movies, where everything feels like a stage play that someone decided to film on a Tuesday afternoon. It’s not profound, but it’s not trying to be, either.
There is a moment in the middle where the plot just... stops. They spend five minutes walking down a street that looks like it’s made of cardboard. It’s weirdly comforting. Why does every modern movie feel the need to be so loud when they could just be like this?
I don't know, maybe I am just tired of CGI. Watching real people stand in front of a painted backdrop has a certain charm that I can't quite shake. Even if the movie is ultimately kind of a shrug, it’s a nice enough way to kill an hour. 🎞️