Hard to Get (1929) - A cute but messy look at class anxiety

Is it worth watching today? Yeah, mostly for the vibe of the late 20s. It’s perfect if you like flapper-era clothes and seeing people act way too fast. 🍿

If you need a plot that actually makes sense for more than five minutes, you’ll probably hate it. It feels a bit like it was written on a napkin during lunch.

Dorothy Mackaill plays Bobby, and honestly, she’s the only reason this thing stays afloat. She has this way of looking at the camera that makes you feel like she’s in on the joke.

The whole movie is about her trying to act like she’s a millionaire to impress a guy with a shiny car. It’s funny because her "rich" acting is just her talking with a slightly stiffer neck.

The guy she likes is played by Edmund Burns. He’s fine, I guess, but he’s mostly just there to look handsome and hold a steering wheel.

I really loved the scenes in the dress shop. You can see all the weird hats from 1929 that look like upside-down buckets.

The family scenes are where the movie gets a bit loud. Louise Fazenda is the mom and she is doing the most in every single frame.

There’s this one part where the dad is eating and it feels like the camera lingers on his plate for way too long. It made me hungry for whatever gray mush they were serving back then.

Jack Oakie shows up too. He’s usually the funniest guy in these old movies, but here he’s sort of just... there? He has a few good lines, but it feels like they forgot to give him a real character.

The movie moves fast, which is good. It doesn't drag like The Sorrows of Love which felt like it took ten years to finish.

I noticed the sound quality is a bit crunchy. Sometimes a character will speak and it sounds like they’re shouting from inside a tin can.

But that’s part of the charm of these early talkies. You can tell they were still figuring out where to hide the microphones.

The apartment they live in is so cramped. It makes the movie feel real, unlike those big empty sets you see in Trumpet Island.

There’s a scene where Bobby is crying in her room and the wallpaper looks like it’s actually peeling off the wall. I wonder if that was a set design choice or just a cheap studio.

One thing that bothered me was how quickly the ending happens. It’s like the director realized they only had two minutes of film left and just yelled "Okay, everyone be happy now!"

It’s not as chaotic as Movie Madness, but it’s definitely not a masterpiece. It’s just a nice way to spend an hour if you’re bored.

The romance is okay, but I didn't really buy that she was that worried about her social standing. The guy seemed nice enough to not care about her dad being a bit of a loudmouth.

I kept thinking about Wife Number Two while watching this, mostly because of how women were expected to act so perfect back then. It’s exhausting just watching it.

Also, the music is a bit much. It never stops. It’s like a constant piano workout in the background that doesn't always match what’s happening on screen.

Some random notes I took:

• The car in the beginning is actually incredible. I want one.
• Why does everyone in 1929 hold their cigarettes like they’re afraid it’s gonna bite them?
• The lighting in the final scene makes everyone look like ghosts.
• I think I saw a background extra trip over a rug, but they kept it in.

If you’ve seen Ramona, you know how these old stories love a bit of melodrama. This one is lighter, though.

It’s a bit like a time capsule that smells like old perfume and mothballs. In a good way!

I wouldn't go out of my way to find it, but if it’s on, don't change the channel. Dorothy Mackaill deserves the attention, even now.

The script has some snappy lines, but a lot of them feel like they were stolen from a greeting card. "Love is a dress that never goes out of style"... or something like that.

I’m still thinking about that dress shop. The way they treated the customers was so different back then. Very intense.

Anyway, it’s a decent watch. Not great, not terrible. Just... there.

It’s definitely better than Cut the Cards, which I still don't really understand. This one is simple and sweet.

Final thought: I wish we still wore those bucket hats. Maybe not. 🎩