Never Trouble Trouble: A Messy Little Farce

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a real soft spot for British comedy from the 1930s. If you aren't into that, you’ll probably find the pacing glacial. But for those of us who like seeing people running around in a panic for no reason? It’s fine. It’s light. It’s not changing the world.

The whole premise is just perfectly ridiculous. A broke artist wants out, pays for his own exit, then inherits a mountain of cash. It’s the kind of logic you only get in these old studio comedies. You can almost see the gears turning in the writer's head as they try to justify why he can't just call the hitman and say, 'Hey, actually, never mind, I bought a yacht.'

There is a lot of frantic energy here. It reminded me a bit of the manic, unhinged vibe you find in Once Over, where the chaos just piles up until the screen feels ready to burst. Some of the performances are so big they’re practically taking up the whole room. Wally Patch is in there doing his thing, and honestly, he’s probably the most grounded person on screen, which is saying a lot.

There’s this one sequence where the artist is trying to dodge his own funeral—or something close to it—and the blocking is just all over the place. It’s clumsy. I love it. It feels like they were filming on a tight schedule and just didn't care if the furniture got in the way. It’s refreshingly sloppy.

Bits and pieces:

• Merle Oberon pops up, and she’s the only one who seems to know what movie she’s actually in.
• The dialogue is snappy, but sometimes it’s so fast you miss the joke because you're still trying to process the last one.
• I think there was a prop cat in the background of one scene that didn't move for three minutes. Maybe it was stuffed?
• The ending is exactly what you expect, which is almost a relief after all that running around.

It doesn't have the grit of Rebuilding Broken Lives or the strange, quiet atmosphere of The Lonely Woman. It’s just fluff. But sometimes fluff is okay. It’s like eating a bowl of popcorn that’s a little stale—you know you shouldn't, but you keep reaching for it anyway. 🍿

Don't look for deep meaning here. You won't find it. Just watch the guy sweat and try to stay alive long enough to spend his inheritance. That's enough.