Ex-Bad Boy: A Charming, Slightly Messy Trip Back to Old Hollywood Romances

“Ex-Bad Boy” is one of those old-school flicks that you stumble upon and wonder if it holds up. For folks who dig early romantic comedies and a peek into what small-town life looked like on screen ages ago, this one's a pretty sweet little treat. If you're hoping for edge-of-your-seat drama or a super fast pace, you'll probably find yourself checking your watch. 🕰️

So, we meet Bob (Robert Armstrong), who’s supposedly this ‘ex-bad boy.’ What exactly made him so bad? The movie keeps it a little fuzzy. Mostly, it feels like he just had a reputation for being a bit of a charmer and maybe not settling down. His current girl, Mary (Grace Cunard), seems to have him on a pretty short leash.

You can tell she’s trying real hard to trust him, but every little sideways glance he gives another woman, she notices. The way Grace Cunard plays it, you almost feel her internal struggle, a little sigh or a narrowed eye. It's subtle, but effective.

Then, boom! A big movie star, Evelyn (Lola Lane), rolls into town with her fiancé, and suddenly everyone is in a tizzy. Evelyn's got this effortless glamour that just makes Mary, and probably everyone else, feel a bit… provincial. The contrast is really stark, like a bright, shiny object dropped into a dusty corner.

Bob, being Bob, gets caught in her orbit almost immediately. It’s not even that he’s trying to be a bad boy again, it just happens. There’s this one scene where he’s trying to help her with a flat tire, and the way he keeps glancing over his shoulder at where Mary might be watching. It’s a classic move.

What I found kinda funny was how the whole town reacts. They’re all so fascinated by Evelyn. Every conversation seems to pivot back to her. The local gossips are having a field day, practically tripping over themselves to spread the latest rumor. The movie kinda leans into that small-town nosiness, and it’s actually pretty endearing.

Jean Arthur is in this too, as Peggy. She doesn’t have a huge part, but she’s got this spark, even in a small role. Her delivery is always so direct, you just gotta love it. She brings a certain zing to her few lines.

The pacing is… leisurely. It’s not a movie in a hurry, which is fine for its type. Some scenes definitely go on a tad longer than you’d expect today. There’s a dance sequence that felt like it stretched out forever, but maybe that was the point? To show how much time they had to kill back then. 🤷‍♀️

You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you this whole situation is a really big deal for Bob and Mary. And for their small town, it absolutely is. The stakes are low, sure, but they feel high to the characters.

There's a moment near the end, a quiet conversation between Mary and Bob, where the camera just holds on their faces. No big dramatic gestures, just a real sense of two people trying to figure things out. It’s actually quite effective.

The film does a good job of showing that even if you’re trying to be good, your past can still kinda hang around. And sometimes, you don’t even have to do anything wrong; people just assume the worst because of who you were. It’s a simple message, but it resonates.

Overall, it’s a charming enough watch if you’re in the mood for something gentle and old-fashioned. Don’t go in expecting grand pronouncements or lightning-fast plot twists. Just enjoy the ride back to a simpler time, when an ‘ex-bad boy’ in a small town could cause a delightful ruckus. And hey, seeing a young Jean Arthur is always a plus! ✨

Didja notice?

• The hats! Everyone has such great hats, even the background extras.
• Bob’s swagger, it’s not quite smooth, a little bit clumsy, which makes him more relatable.
• How quickly everyone accepts the movie star, Evelyn, even while gossiping about her.
• Mary's dresses are always so perfectly starched, even when she's upset.
• A dog just wanders through a scene for no apparent reason, just chilling. 🐶