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6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Das schöne Abenteuer remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-school farce where people run in and out of rooms, sure. It’s light, breezy, and surprisingly awkward in the way only 1930s comedies can be. If you hate plot holes that involve people just accepting wild lies because it's convenient for the script, stay away.
The whole premise is built on that classic "we have to share a room" trope. It feels like The Love Habit but with way more sweating about the living room furniture. Watching Helene and her cousin try to play house for the grandmother is... well, it’s a lot.
There’s this moment where the grandmother is just so *insistent* about the bridal suite. You can see the lead actor, Käthe von Nagy, trying to hold it together while the dialogue just spirals into nonsense. It’s funny, but you can tell the writers were working overtime to keep the logic from falling apart.
The pacing has this weird stutter. One minute they are escaping a wedding, the next they are eating dinner with an elderly woman who thinks they’ve been married for years. There's no transition. It just happens.
It reminds me a bit of There Goes the Bride, but with less charm and more panicked staring. I couldn't help but think about how much easier life would be if they just told the truth, but then we wouldn't have a movie. The film clearly wants you to be stressed out for them. Mission accomplished, I guess?
Some of the supporting cast are just chewing the scenery to bits. It's not subtle. Sometimes a character walks in, shouts a line, and leaves. It feels like they were filming on a tight budget and just wanted to get it over with. Not that I blame them.
The final act feels rushed. Like, they realized they only had ten minutes left and just decided to wrap it all up with a bow. Whatever. It’s a cute, silly little thing to put on if you’re doing laundry. Just don’t think about the grandmother’s logic too hard. You’ll get a headache.
