Forbidden Company: Rich People Problems, Vintage Style

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you are a completionist for early talkie dramas or have a weird soft spot for films where everyone talks like they are reading from a etiquette manual. If you hate slow-burn family bickering, stay far away. This isn't a thriller; it is a long, polite argument with nice furniture.

The plot is exactly what you think it is. Rich kid meets model, rich dad gets the vapors, and suddenly the whole household is in a tizzy. It feels like every scene is just waiting for the next person to walk through a door and look scandalized.

There is this one moment where the father is pacing near a fireplace, and the lighting is just… aggressive. It makes his face look like a topographical map of disappointment. It is oddly distracting. I spent more time looking at the dust motes dancing in the light than listening to the dialogue about the 'unsuitable' match.

If you want to see how this kind of thing was handled in other eras, maybe check out Every Man's Wife or even Caste. They share that same DNA of people being deeply worried about who their children are dating. It’s a very specific brand of 1930s panic.

Bits and bobs:

• The costumes are sharper than the writing.
• I’m pretty sure one of the extras in the background is just reading a magazine.
• The dialogue is so formal it almost loops back around to being funny.
• Nobody actually sits on the furniture properly. They just sort of perch.

I found myself thinking about The Wolf at the Door while watching this, mainly because the tension here is just as thin as a single sheet of paper. There is no real danger, just a lot of raised eyebrows. It’s fine. It just doesn't have much to say that we haven't heard a thousand times before.

It’s not a bad movie. It’s just... quiet. Like, library-quiet. If you want to fall asleep to the sound of people arguing about social status in the 1930s, this is your winner. 😴