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7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Men in Her Life remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Okay, so Men in Her Life. Is it worth digging up today? Absolutely, if you've got a soft spot for pre-code era shenanigans and a story where class lines get delightfully tangled. You'll probably dig this if you enjoy watching characters navigate societal expectations with a wink. If you're looking for modern pacing or gritty realism, though, you're going to hate it. This one is pure 1930s confection. 🍬
The setup here is classic old Hollywood melodrama. Lois Moran plays this society girl, Sally, who's suddenly flat broke. Her fiancé, a real charmer, bails the second he finds out her money's gone. What a guy, right? Then in swoops Charles Bickford as Jim, an ex-bootlegger who made his fortune. He's got the cash, but he wants to learn how to walk among the "respectable" folks. He proposes this wild deal: he'll pay her debts if she turns him into a gentleman. It's a bit much, but it works for the time.
I kept thinking about how quickly that fiancé, played by Victor Varconi, just *disappears* once the money dries up. It's so blunt. No real hesitation, just *poof*. It really sets up Jim as the anti-thesis, even with his rough edges. The contrast is almost comedic, how one man values money and the other, well, seems to value something else.
The scenes where Sally tries to "teach" Jim are honestly the best bits. She's got this earnest, slightly put-upon air, trying to explain things like which fork to use or how to properly introduce someone. Jim, meanwhile, just watches her, sometimes with a smirk, sometimes with a genuinely curious expression. There’s a particular moment where he's supposed to practice bowing, and he does it with this exaggerated, almost mocking flourish. You can tell he's just playing along. But you also see a glint in his eye, like he's genuinely charmed by her efforts. It's not about the bowing, really, but the quiet tension and respect growing between them.
She teaches him how to dance, too. He's stiff at first, all elbows and feet, but then he starts to loosen up. It’s a quiet scene, just them in a big empty room, moving to music that we don't hear, only imagine. The silence there feels more real than some of the more dramatic parts of the film. It's a moment of connection, surprisingly sweet.
Charles Bickford as Jim is quite good. He doesn't try to be too smooth or too gruff. He's got this earthy charm that feels right for a self-
IMDb —
1916
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