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6.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Rafter Romance remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies where people talk in fast, snappy sentences and live in apartments that clearly don't exist in reality, Rafter Romance is a fun hour-plus. You’ll probably hate it if you need logic or if the idea of 'shift-work living' gives you anxiety about your own messy place. It’s not Beau Geste—thank goodness—but it’s got a pulse.
Ginger Rogers is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She makes the whole 'I hate this guy I haven't met' act feel less like a sitcom trope and more like a real annoyance. There’s a specific scene where she’s fuming over a piece of furniture that feels so lived-in and petty. It made me smile. It’s the kind of small, human frustration that most studio movies from that era usually skipped over.
The whole apartment setup is basically a math problem that doesn't add up. Why are they sharing the rent this way? Why is the furniture so specific? I stopped asking questions after twenty minutes because the movie just keeps moving. It has that frantic 1933 energy where nothing needs to be explained as long as the dialogue is snappy enough.
It’s funny, the movie gets a bit clunky whenever they try to force the 'romance' part of the title. It’s much stronger when they’re just being miserable people in the same space. When they finally meet? The tension sort of drains out of the walls. It’s like the movie was happier when they were just fighting via Post-it notes.
I found myself looking at the background props more than the actual leads at one point. Who keeps a vase like that on a shelf in a shared studio? The attention to detail in the set design is weirdly distracting. It feels like a stage play that’s trying to hide the fact that it only has one set. It works, though. It feels cramped, which is exactly how living in a loft with a stranger should feel.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not going to change your life. But for a quick hit of old-school charm? It hits the spot. Just don't think too hard about the lease agreement.
IMDb 5.2
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