Ever Since Eve: A goofy look at 1930s office politics

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school screwball comedies where people run around shouting in offices, sure. If you get annoyed by plots that rely entirely on a woman putting on glasses to become 'invisible,' you might want to skip this one. It is a time capsule, for better or worse.

Marion Davies is basically the whole show here. She plays Marge Winton, a girl who is just too pretty for her own good according to the weird logic of 1937 HR departments. Honestly, the movie has this frantic energy that feels like it’s trying to catch its own tail.

There is a specific scene where Marge transforms into her 'homely' self. It is a bit painful to watch the over-the-top makeup job. But then again, this isn't trying to be Sadie McKee. It is much more interested in the farce of the whole situation than any real human struggle.

Robert Montgomery shows up, and he is doing that fast-talking, charming-but-kind-of-annoying routine he mastered. The chemistry is fine, I guess. It is hard to tell if they are actually flirting or just reading lines at top speed to make the clock run out. Sometimes the dialogue feels like it is moving faster than the camera can track.

The office dynamics are… well, let's just say they wouldn't fly today. It is bizarre watching these guys just openly pestering their secretaries. It makes the 'frumpy disguise' plot feel like a weirdly desperate solution to a massive workplace harassment problem. Not that the movie thinks about it that hard.

Random Observations

• That one background extra in the lobby scene is clearly just standing there waiting for his lunch break.
• The lighting in the office scenes is so bright it looks like they are filming on the surface of the sun.
• Patsy Kelly is in this, and she steals every single frame she is in, which is the only right way to use her.
• The plot basically falls apart in the third act, but who cares? It is just people running around now.

I found myself thinking about Breaking Into Society while watching this, mostly because both movies have that distinct 'let’s just throw everything at the wall' vibe. It is not a masterpiece. It is just a movie that exists to make you giggle at some silly outfits and predictable misunderstandings.

Does it have a point? Not really. It just wants to get you to the finish line without you thinking too hard about why Marge doesn't just find a better boss. But then, we wouldn't have a movie, right? Sometimes I think I prefer the silence of Silence over this much frantic chatter. Still, it is a fun enough way to kill an hour if you are in the mood for something light.