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6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Gigolettes remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for cheap, chaotic 1930s comedies, Gigolettes is absolutely worth a look today. But if you hate scratchy early-sound audio and actors screaming their lines at the top of their lungs, you will probably want to skip this one entirely.
The setup is so simple it is almost silly. Three unemployed girls decide the best way to survive the Great Depression is to open a random roadhouse in the middle of nowhere.
Naturally, they get zero customers. That is, until a guy who claims to be a multi-millionaire rolls in and decides to throw a massive, wild party.
The catch? He is actually a lunatic who just escaped from the local asylum. 😬
The whole thing feels like it was filmed over a single weekend in a rented room. It has that frantic, cheap energy you find in late-silent era comedies like Cleaning Up, but with the added chaos of early talkie technology.
I am convinced the director told everyone to just yell as loud as possible. Gertrude Short and June MacCloy don't just speak their lines; they project them like they are trying to reach a neighbor three blocks away.
And then there is Bud Jamison, who is always a treat. He brings his usual big-bodied slapstick energy, which honestly saves a few of the slower moments.
Speaking of slow moments, there is a dance sequence in the middle that goes on for what feels like an eternity. You can literally feel the movie trying to stretch its runtime so it can qualify as a feature.
Some of the background extras during the party look completely lost. One guy in a suit just stares directly into the lens for a solid five seconds before remembering he is supposed to be partying.
It is those little, unpolished mistakes that make these old B-movies so charming to watch now. They didn't have the time or money to do a second take, so they just kept rolling.
Look, the plot is paper-thin and the resolution is incredibly abrupt. It just sort of... ends when they run out of film, I guess.
But if you want to see some genuine, unhinged pre-code weirdness, it is a fun ride. Just turn your volume down a bit before starting it.
IMDb 6.1
1920
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