DbcultAccessing Vault...
6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Danger - Love at Work remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies where people talk at 100 miles per hour and fall over furniture, you'll probably have a decent time. If you need a movie to be smart or grounded, you’ll hate this.
Honestly, Danger: Love at Work is just loud. It’s a classic screwball mess that feels like it was put together in an afternoon.
The Pembertons are the kind of movie family that would be a nightmare to have as neighbors. They’re constantly shouting, running through halls, and acting like they’ve never met a rational human being.
The whole thing hinges on a land deal. A lawyer needs a signature. That’s it. But he’s stuck with these people who treat a contract like a joke.
Edward Everett Horton is in this, doing that thing he does where he looks perpetually confused and slightly terrified of his own shadow. It’s a performance I’ve seen him give in Strictly Unreliable and honestly, it works just as well here.
There’s a moment in the middle where it feels like the movie just gives up on the plot entirely. They just start doing comedy bits that have zero impact on the land deal.
It reminded me a bit of the musical fluff in By the Light of the Silvery Moon, but with way less charm and way more shouting.
The scene with the car? I don't know what was happening. Someone was yelling, someone was crying, and the camera just stayed on them for way too long. It was weirdly hypnotic.
This isn't high art. It’s a movie that knows it's disposable. You watch it, you giggle at the slapstick, and then you forget it by the time you're making dinner.
Some of the supporting cast are clearly just there to fill space. You can see them looking at the camera sometimes. 😅
It’s not a masterpiece, but it doesn't try to be. It’s just a loud, silly, and slightly unhinged afternoon at the movies. 🎬