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5.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Should Ladies Behave remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, you should only watch Should Ladies Behave if you have a soft spot for pre-code melodrama that doesn't quite know if it wants to be a comedy or a cautionary tale. If you enjoy watching people make terrible life choices while wearing very nice clothes, you’ll probably have a decent time. If you need your movies to have a clear moral compass or a brisk pace, you’re going to hate this.
The whole thing feels like a stage play that forgot to leave the house. Everything centers on this weekend retreat where the characters just sort of orbit each other, waiting for someone to drop a secret. It’s the kind of movie where people stare at each other for ten seconds too long before saying something biting.
Lionel Barrymore is in this, obviously, and he brings that usual grumpy charm that makes him feel like the only person in the room who knows the script is a bit thin. There is a moment where the mother—played by Alice Brady—is trying to look worldly and sophisticated, but she just looks like she’s trying to hold in a sneeze. It’s hilarious.
The daughter, Mary Carlisle, is supposed to be this wide-eyed romantic, but she mostly just comes off as remarkably dense. You want to shake her, really. Watching her throw herself at an 'artist' is painful, mostly because the guy isn't even that interesting. He’s just older and has a mustache.
It reminds me a bit of the tension in Trent's Last Case, though without the mystery solving to keep things moving. Here, the 'mystery' is just who is going to cheat on whom next. It gets exhausting by the third act.
The pacing is honestly all over the place. One minute they’re having a civil dinner, and the next, someone is threatening to burn the whole social order down. It doesn't earn the drama, but it sure is fun to watch them try. 🍷
There’s a specific scene involving a garden gate that drags on forever. I think the camera just forgot to cut away. It felt very real, though. Like the director just went to lunch and left the actors to their own devices.
I wouldn't call this a masterpiece. It’s more like a fascinating relic of a time when people thought 'sophistication' meant being vaguely mean to your relatives. Watch it for the costumes and the awkward pauses.
IMDb 6.5
1932
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