Romance in Budapest: A chaotic wedding crash

Is this for you?

If you like old-school screwball comedies where everyone talks way too fast, you'll probably get a kick out of this. It’s light, breezy, and completely harmless. But if you need your movies to have actual stakes or logical plot developments, you might find yourself checking your watch by the twenty-minute mark.

The whole thing kicks off because Tini’s fiancé just decides to bail on his own wedding. It’s a bold move, I guess? Most guys just get cold feet at the altar, but this guy is already halfway to a hotel before the cake is even cut.

The Hotel Atlantik Vibe

Once they get to the hotel, the movie turns into a weird game of musical chairs. People are constantly ducking into rooms, hiding behind curtains, and shouting at each other in hallways. It’s a lot of running around in formal wear. Honestly, it’s exhausting just watching them.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Romance in Budapest (1933) through its definitive frames.

Franciska Gaal is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She has this way of looking at the camera that makes you think she’s the only one in the room who knows how silly this all is. She’s definitely the best part of the whole mess.

There’s a moment in the lobby involving a suitcase that goes on forever. It’s supposed to be a gag, I think? But it just feels like a long time to watch someone struggle with a lock. The scene reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Woman Gives, though without the same level of polish.

Odd Little Details

• The background extras in the hotel lobby seem to be having their own private drama entirely unrelated to the plot.
• I swear the same waiter walks past the camera at least six times in one sequence.
• The dialogue is sharp, but some of the jokes feel like they were written for a different century.
• There’s a weird obsession with door-slamming that starts to get distracting after a while.

Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it worth watching? If you’re in the mood for something that doesn't ask you to use your brain for an hour, sure. It’s got that old-fashioned charm that’s hard to find these days. It’s nowhere near as moody as The Lash of Destiny, thank goodness.

Sometimes you just want to watch people make bad decisions in nice clothes. This movie delivers that in spades. Don't think about the plot too hard, or the whole thing falls apart like a wet napkin. Just enjoy the ride.