Lucky Girl (1932) review - Creaky, fast-talking royal nonsense

Look, if you hate early British talkies where everyone sounds like they have a plum stuffed in their mouth, just skip this one. You will absolutely hate it.

But if you have a soft spot for goofy, low-stakes mistaken identity stuff from the 1930s? Lucky Girl is actually kind of a blast, even if it feels like it was filmed inside a giant tin can. 👑

The plot is basically a sitcom episode stretched out.

Gene Gerrard plays the king of some tiny European country nobody has ever heard of. He sneaks off to England, ends up at a duke's massive house, and everyone thinks he is a notorious jewel thief. Naturally, instead of clearing things up, he just rolls with it because he thinks the duke's daughter (Molly Lamont) is cute.

It is very similar to Her Great Match with the whole royal-in-disguise thing, but this one is way more hyperactive.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Lucky Girl (1932) through its definitive frames.

The Energy is Way Too High

Gene Gerrard is... a lot. He bounces around the screen like he drank five cups of espresso right before the director yelled action. He has this weird habit of adjusting his tie whenever he gets nervous, which happens about fifty times.

The dialogue is so fast it feels like they were trying to save money on film by speaking quicker. Sometimes it works, and sometimes you just wish everyone would take a deep breath.

The duke's mustache deserves its own billing in the credits. It is this giant, bushy thing that seems to have a mind of its own when he gets angry. 🔍

"If you are looking for deep thoughts on class or royalty, you are in the wrong place. This is strictly pants-ripping comedy."

A Few Things I Noticed

• The sound is pretty rough in the library scene. There is this constant low hum in the background that sounds like a lawnmower.
• Molly Lamont is really good at looking mildly annoyed, which is great because Gerrard's character is incredibly annoying.
• There is a butler who literally does nothing but stand in the background looking like he regretted every life choice that led him to this movie.
• The window escape scene goes on about thirty seconds too long. You can see the actor waiting for his cue to jump.

It reminds me a bit of the chaotic energy in Caught in the Fog, where the plot just keeps piling on more misunderstandings until you give up trying to keep track.

Is it a masterpiece? Absolutely not.

But it made me laugh out loud twice, mostly because of how cheap some of the physical gags are. Sometimes a silly old movie is exactly what you need on a rainy Sunday afternoon when you do not want to think at all.