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6.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Let's Be Ritzy remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies where everyone is constantly worried about being found out, you’ll probably have a decent time with Let's Be Ritzy. It’s light, it’s fluffy, and it doesn't try to solve the world's problems. If you need grit or deep character studies, keep scrolling—this one is basically a Sunday afternoon nap in movie form. 😴
The whole premise hinges on a couple trying to fake their way into the high life. We've all seen this story before. It’s got that specific 1930s energy where a borrowed tuxedo is enough to cause a national incident.
Patricia Ellis and Lew Ayres do the heavy lifting here, and they’re fine. They have that kind of breezy chemistry that keeps the ship from sinking when the plot starts getting a little too tangled. There’s a specific scene involving a dinner party where the tension is so thin you could poke a hole in it with a breadstick. You can literally see the actors waiting for their turn to speak, which is kind of charming in a weird way.
Frank McHugh shows up and does his usual thing, which is mostly just being the guy you’re glad is on screen because he’s actually doing something besides looking nervous. The rest of the cast feels a bit like they’re just filling out the background of a postcard. It’s not necessarily bad, just… there.
It’s not quite as zany as The Goof, but it shares that same DNA of people making bad decisions for the sake of comedy. It’s definitely not as heavy as something like Sacrifice, which is a good thing since I wasn't in the mood for a lecture.
Honestly, the movie gets better once it stops trying to justify why these people are lying and just lets them deal with the mess. There’s a point toward the end where it all falls apart in the most predictable way possible, but it’s still fun to watch the dominoes tumble. It’s a bit like watching a car crash in slow motion, if the car was made of silk and champagne glasses.
Is it a masterpiece? No. Will it change your life? Absolutely not. But if you want to watch some nice people in nice clothes make terrible, avoidable mistakes, you could do a lot worse on a Tuesday night. Just grab a drink and don't think too hard about the logistics of their bank accounts. 🍸
IMDb 5.6
1932
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