Love in Bloom: A Carnival of Odd Choices

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for 1930s musical-dramas that don't quite know what they want to be. If you’re looking for a tight, polished story, you’re going to hate this. It’s clunky, it’s all over the place, and it feels like three different writers were working in separate rooms without ever talking to each other.

But for people who like to see how movies were duct-taped together back then? Yeah, there’s some fun to be had here. It’s got that specific, slightly dusty charm that makes you wonder how half these scenes even made the final cut.

The Carnival Vibe

The whole opening feels like a fever dream. Our lead is running away from a carnival family that seems to have more baggage than the actual tents. There’s a scene where she’s saying goodbye that lasts just long enough to make you start checking your phone. It’s not necessarily bad, it’s just… quiet in a way that feels a little accidental.

You can almost see the gears grinding. The shift from the traveling carnival to New York City is handled with all the grace of a falling piano. One minute she’s in a dusty lot, the next she’s in a city apartment that looks like a studio set from 1935—because, well, it is.

The Songwriter Problem

Then there’s the romance. Our young songwriter is clearly meant to be dreamy, but he mostly just stands around looking like he’s trying to remember if he left the oven on back home. The chemistry isn't exactly electric. It’s more like two people waiting for the director to yell 'cut' so they can go get lunch.

I found myself watching the background extras more than the leads. There’s a guy in a scene near the middle who is clearly trying way too hard to look like he’s playing a piano. He’s hitting notes that don't match the music at all. It’s hilarious if you catch it.

Random Notes

• Gracie Allen shows up, and suddenly the whole movie wakes up for five minutes. Then she disappears, and we’re back to the slog.
• The dialogue sounds like it was written on napkins at a diner.
• The pacing is erratic. It rushes through important character moments and then lingers on a shot of a street sign for ten seconds.
• I think I spotted a shadow of a microphone boom in one of the apartment scenes. Maybe? It’s hard to tell through the grainy print.

If you're in the mood for something a bit more professional, you might want to look at Torch Singer instead, which actually has a pulse. But if you’re already deep in a rabbit hole of pre-code era weirdness, this fits right in.

It’s not a masterpiece. It barely holds together. But there’s something about the way the music just kind of starts and stops that feels weirdly honest. It’s a movie that’s trying its best, even if its best isn't very good.