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7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Looking Forward remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that smell like old mahogany and stiff collars, sure. Looking Forward is for people who enjoy watching the rich suffer just enough to learn a lesson. If you want high-octane thrills or actual stakes, you’ll probably find this about as exciting as watching paint dry on a department store wall.
Lewis Stone plays the store owner with a face that just looks permanently tired. You can tell he’s holding back a scream in every single scene. It’s honestly impressive.
Then there’s Lionel Barrymore. He’s the guy who gets fired and somehow ends up happier baking bread. That whole transition feels a bit rushed, like the writers just wanted him out of the store so they could deal with the family drama.
His wife, played by Benita Hume, is just the worst. She’s allergic to the idea of being poor. Watching her freak out over losing her social standing is a little too real, even if it feels a bit theatrical by today's standards. She runs off with another man, and honestly? Good riddance.
There is this one scene where she’s complaining about money while everyone is trying to eat dinner. It drags on for a solid minute, and you just want someone to hand her a piece of toast so she’ll be quiet.
It’s not as chaotic as Chinatown After Dark or as weird as the shorts like Glumov's Diary. It’s just a steady, predictable drama from a different time.
The ending comes out of nowhere. It’s like the movie realized it had to wrap up in eighty minutes and just decided that everything would be fine suddenly. Whatever. It’s charming in a dusty, forgotten sort of way.
I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. I just watched it. Sometimes that’s enough.