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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you like movies where people just sprint around shouting lies at each other for ninety minutes, you might have a good time here. It’s definitely not for folks who need a coherent plot or characters who act like actual human beings. If you’re in the mood for something light, dated, and just a little bit desperate, give it a shot. Otherwise, maybe skip it.
There’s this frantic energy to the whole thing that felt like watching someone try to juggle eggs while riding a bike. You’ve got five million francs floating around, which seems like a lot of money to be so careless with, but hey, that’s cinema for you.
It’s all about a guy pretending to be a millionaire and a woman playing a Russian countess. They spend the whole weekend tripping over their own tall tales. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in If I Had a Million, though maybe with less charm and more sweating.
The performances are… loud. Especially Giehse and Sima, who seem to be competing to see who can chew more scenery before the final credits roll. It’s not subtle. It’s not supposed to be. But sometimes it’s just exhausting.
There’s a scene near the middle where they’re both trying to out-spend each other, and it just goes on for way too long. I think I checked my phone twice. It’s like the director forgot that silence can be funny, too. Everything has to be a big, frantic movement.
I found myself wondering if they ever actually get tired of lying. They keep digging these holes for themselves, and you’re just waiting for the floor to fall out. It’s predictable, sure, but there’s a small part of me that enjoyed watching the house of cards tilt.
It’s not as interesting as something like Anna Karenina, obviously, but it doesn’t try to be. It’s a trifle. A very loud, very confused, occasionally funny trifle.
Maybe it’s the era. Everything in these older comedies feels so stiff, yet everyone is acting like they’re in a high-speed chase. It’s a strange mix. 🤷♂️
