Rebound (1931) Review: Myrna Loy and the Awkwardness of Early Talkies

You should probably watch this if you have a soft spot for 1930s drawing-room dramas where people stand around in expensive suits drinking lukewarm gin. If you hate movies that feel like filmed plays with zero camera movement, you will absolutely loathe this.

It’s a 1931 production, so everything feels a bit stiff. You can practically hear the actors waiting for the microphone to catch up with them.

The story kicks off with Bill getting his heart stepped on by Evie (played by the always cool Myrna Loy). Then he basically proposes to Sara on the rebound because he’s sad and lonely.

Ina Claire plays Sara. She’s got this very specific, fast-talking energy that makes the other actors look like they are moving in slow motion.

There is a scene early on where they are all at a party and the dialogue is just... rapid. It’s almost exhausting to keep up with who is insulted by what.

I noticed that the sets look incredibly expensive but also incredibly fake. Like, you can tell the walls are made of thin wood if you look at the corners long enough.

Bill is played by Robert Ames. He’s fine, I guess, but he has this way of looking at the floor that makes him seem like he’s trying to remember his next line. 🤨

The whole middle section takes place in Paris, but it’s that movie version of Paris where everyone speaks perfect English and stays in hotels that look exactly like the ones in New York. I think I saw the same potted palm tree in three different rooms.

Myrna Loy is really the highlight here, even though she isn't in it as much as I wanted. She has this way of looking at people like they are a math problem she already solved. 💅

It reminds me a bit of the vibe in The Flying Fleet, mostly because of that era's obsession with duty and looking proper while your life falls apart. But this one is way more talky.

There is this one moment where Sara is sitting on a couch and the silence goes on for a weirdly long time. I think they were waiting for a cue, or maybe the editor just liked the way the light hit her hair.

It gets a bit better when Robert Williams shows up. He plays the friend, Johnnie, and he actually feels like a real human being who might exist outside of a script.

Most of the movie is just Sara trying to be charming so Bill will stop thinking about Evie. It’s kind of depressing if you think about it too hard, so I wouldn't recommend doing that.

The sound quality is pretty rough in spots. There’s a constant hiss in the background that sounds like someone is frying bacon in the next room. 🥓

If you've seen Inside the Lines, you know how these early RKO movies can feel a bit clunky with their pacing. Rebound suffers from that too, especially in the final twenty minutes.

The ending feels like it happens because the movie ran out of film. It doesn't really resolve the emotional mess; it just sort of... stops.

I did like the hats, though. The hats in 1931 were really doing a lot of work.

One reaction shot of Myrna Loy lingers for so long it almost becomes a different movie. It’s great. It’s the most interesting thing that happens in that entire scene.

Is it a masterpiece? Not even close. But it’s a weirdly fascinating look at how people thought marriages worked back then.

The dialogue has some sharp bites to it. Donald Ogden Stewart wrote the play this was based on, and you can tell he liked making people sound smarter than they actually are.

I caught myself checking my watch during the long speech about 'freedom' toward the end. It felt like the movie was trying to give me a lecture I didn't sign up for.

But then Ina Claire does this little shrug and you kind of forgive the movie for being boring for a minute. She’s got a lot of charm, even if her character is a bit of a doormat for most of the runtime.

Anyway, it’s a decent watch if you’re doing a deep dive into Myrna Loy’s early stuff. Just don't expect a lot of action or, you know, a plot that makes total sense in the modern world.

Odd Little Details I Noticed

• The way Bill holds his drink is super awkward, like he’s afraid he’s going to drop it.
• There is a painting in the background of the apartment that looks like a dog but might be a cloud. I couldn't decide.
• The transition between the wedding and the honeymoon is so fast I actually blinked and missed it.
• Everyone smokes constantly, which I guess was the law in 1931 cinema.

It’s an okay movie for a Sunday afternoon when you don't want to think too much. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. It’s just... fine.