Radio Lover: A charmingly shallow look at vanity

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for 1930s British studio stuff, sure. It’s light, it’s fast, and it’s entirely devoid of heavy lifting. If you need your movies to be serious or visually groundbreaking, maybe skip it. You’ll just get annoyed by how easily everyone buys the lie.

The whole premise hinges on the idea that the public is incredibly gullible. Wylie Watson—who is wonderful, by the way—is basically hidden in the shadows because he doesn't look like a lead. Jack Melford plays the “Radio Lover” with enough smarm to make your skin crawl, which is probably the point. It’s a thin story, but it moves along like it’s got somewhere important to be.

There’s a moment where the radio broadcast happens and you can tell the sound recording was just slapped on top in the most basic way possible. It has that hollow, tinny sound that makes you realize this was filmed on a very tight budget. Honestly? It kind of adds to the charm.

I found myself wondering if this would have been a better short film. The middle section drags quite a bit, mostly because we keep watching the same misunderstandings play out in different rooms. It feels like the writers ran out of jokes halfway through.

Bits and pieces

• The lighting in the studio scenes is so flat it looks like a high school play.
• I couldn't stop looking at the background extras. One of them is clearly trying not to laugh during the big reveal.
• The dialogue is snappy, but sometimes it feels like they’re reading from a teleprompter that doesn't exist yet.
• Compared to the heavy drama of The Flame Within, this feels like a total fever dream.

It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It’s just trying to fill an hour with some crooning and some light deception. Sometimes that’s enough. Just don't go in expecting the wit of a screwball comedy classic, because the humor here is a bit dusty.

I’m still not sure why they thought the audience would believe Melford could sing like that. The disconnect is so obvious it’s almost funny. Almost.