Constance Bennett is great in Sin Takes a Holiday (1930)

Is it worth a watch?

If you like seeing 1930s ladies in incredible dresses telling men where to go, then yes. If you can't stand the crackly audio and slow pacing of early 'talkies,' you will probably be bored to tears.

The movie starts in a dusty law office. Sylvia, played by Constance Bennett, is the 'plain' secretary.

In movie language, 'plain' just means she wears a lumpy sweater and doesn't do her hair. It is the oldest trick in the book and it's still kind of funny to see it in a movie from 1930.

Her boss, Gaylord, is a total jerk. He dates married women specifically because he knows they can't marry him.

He decides the best way to stay single is to marry his secretary in name only. He offers her a huge salary and a trip to Paris if she just signs the papers.

I sat there thinking, 'Take the deal, Sylvia!' And she does.

The logic of the movie is a bit messy. It feels like the characters are making up the rules as they go along.

Once she gets to Paris, the movie actually starts to wake up. She ditches the frumpy clothes and becomes a total fashion icon.

There is a scene where she walks into a room wearing a stunning backless gown. You can tell she knows she looks good.

Basil Rathbone shows up as a guy named Phil. He is so much more charming than the actual lead actor.

I kept waiting for her to just ditch her husband and stay with Basil. He has this way of looking at her that makes the husband look like a total amateur.

The office scenes at the start reminded me a bit of The Hope Chest, but with more cynical talk about divorce.

I noticed that Zasu Pitts is in this, but she barely gets anything to do. She’s just kind of there in the background being nervous.

The movie has this strange rhythm. Sometimes the dialogue is really fast and snappy, and then suddenly everyone stops and stares at each other for way too long.

There’s one reaction shot of the husband that lingers so long I thought my screen had frozen. It actually becomes funny after a few seconds.

It’s not as gritty as some other pre-code films like The Scarlet Shadow. It stays pretty light and fluffy even when they are talking about 'sin.'

Kenneth MacKenna, who plays the husband, is just... fine? He doesn't really have the spark you want in a romantic lead.

He looks like he’s constantly trying to remember his next line. Constance Bennett totally carries the whole thing on her shoulders.

The ending feels very rushed. It’s like they realized they only had five minutes of film left and needed to wrap everything up with a bow.

It doesn't really earn the emotional ending it tries for. But I didn't really care because the clothes were so nice to look at.

I liked the part where she basically tells her boss that she isn't the same pushover she used to be. It felt like a real human moment in a movie that is mostly about high-society nonsense.

If you're looking for a deep masterpiece, this isn't it. But it’s a fun little time capsule of a time when people were still figuring out how to make movies with sound. 🍸

• The Good: Constance Bennett’s wardrobe and Basil Rathbone being smooth.
• The Weird: The husband’s logic for getting married is genuinely insane.
• The Random: There is a very small role for a guy who just seems to be there to hold a hat.

It's a bit like The Dutiful Dub if you swapped the comedy for more expensive furniture. I'd watch it again on a rainy Sunday, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it.