Evergreen: A Weird, Charming Musical Time Capsule

Should you watch Evergreen? Only if you have a soft spot for 1930s British musicals and don't mind a story that feels like it was written on a napkin during lunch. If you’re the kind of person who needs airtight character motivations, you’ll probably find this infuriating. But if you just want to see someone own the stage, you'll be fine.

The whole premise is just wild. A music hall star runs off to South Africa, hides her kid, and then, years later, the daughter comes back to London to play her own mother. It’s the kind of tangled mess that makes you blink twice. And then the daughter starts falling for the guy who is supposed to be her brother in the show? Yeah. It’s that kind of movie.

Jessie Matthews is the only reason this thing holds together at all. She plays both the mother and the daughter, and she is electrifying. When she’s dancing, you forget that the plot is basically nonsense. She has this way of moving that makes the rest of the cast look like they’re walking through mud.

There’s a moment in the second act that just drags forever, and you can tell the director was in love with the set design. It feels like we’re staring at a fancy staircase for five minutes too long. But then she starts a musical number, and you forgive it all. It’s not consistent, but that’s the charm, I guess.

If you're looking for something with a bit more grit, this definitely isn't it—it's not like Everything for Sale, where everything feels a bit more grounded in a real, sad world. This is pure fluff. But it’s well-made fluff.

I couldn't help but notice how stiff the leading men are compared to her. She’s bouncing off the walls, and they’re just standing there like mannequins waiting for their next line. It’s funny in a way I don't think they intended.

The whole "fake son" dynamic is so uncomfortable. The movie keeps trying to play it for laughs, but I just felt like I needed a shower. Maybe I’m overthinking it. It’s just a movie, right? Still, it’s a weirdly specific choice for a plot.

Things I noticed while watching:

• The lighting in the final act is weirdly bright, like they forgot to dim the stage lights.
• There’s a guy in the background of the club scene who seems to be holding the same drink for three hours.
• Jessie Matthews is clearly the only person in the room who knows how to move.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even that great of a story. But man, she’s really good at what she does. Take it for what it is and don't look too hard at the cracks.