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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. For Love or Money remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're looking for a heavy drama, keep walking. This is a very light, very 1933 kind of movie where everyone speaks in clipped, posh accents and the biggest crisis in the world is the electricity getting cut off.
Is it worth it? Probably only if you have a massive crush on Robert Donat or you just really love the aesthetic of old, slightly frayed tuxedoes and dusty offices.
The plot is basically just a thin excuse to get people in rooms together to argue about money. It’s got that stage-play energy where you can practically see the marks on the floorboards where the actors are supposed to stand. When the electric company shows up to kill the power, the whole movie hits this weird, awkward rhythm. It's like the filmmakers weren't sure if they wanted to be a slapstick comedy or a serious romance.
Robert Donat is doing way too much work here, honestly. He’s got this way of looking at the camera that makes you think he knows he’s in a bit of a dud, but he’s too polite to say anything about it. He carries the whole thing on his back, even when the dialogue feels like it was written on a cocktail napkin ten minutes before filming started.
There is a specific moment where the daughter tries to charm an investor, and the pacing just... stops. It’s like the editor took a long coffee break and forgot to cut the extra five seconds of dead air. It’s not necessarily bad, it’s just very noticeable.
It’s nowhere near as sharp as The Black Sheep of the Family, which knew exactly what kind of movie it wanted to be. This one just kind of wanders around until it hits the credits.
Don't go into this expecting a masterpiece. It's a relic. It's fine for a rainy afternoon if you just want to hear some old-timey British chatter, but it won't change your life. ☕