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6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Sitting Pretty remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-school Hollywood fluff that moves fast and doesn't ask you to think too hard, you’ll probably have a decent time. If you need a plot that holds together like glue, stay far away from this one. It is messy, loud, and weirdly delightful if you catch it on the right day.
Ginger Rogers is obviously the draw here, even if the movie doesn't always know what to do with her. She shines whenever she is on screen, but the rest of the cast feels like they are in a completely different movie.
The whole premise is just a loose string holding together musical numbers. They travel from New York to Hollywood, but it feels like they just walk through a few different painted backdrops. The lunch-wagon detail is kind of charming, in an absurd way. Like, who brings a lunch wagon to Hollywood?
Sometimes the comedy hits, and sometimes it just lands with a thud. There is a scene involving a dance routine that goes on for maybe two minutes too long, and you can see the dancers getting visibly tired. It’s oddly relatable.
If you have seen Painting the Town, you know the type of energy this is trying to capture. It lacks that same polish, but it has a weird, frantic heartbeat. It is less like a movie and more like a stage show that forgot the stage.
Watching this made me think of the early days of talkies where everyone was just figuring out how to keep the audience awake. It’s not genius, but it’s fun in a way that feels unmanufactured. The songs are catchy enough that you’ll be humming them while you go make a sandwich afterward. Don't go in expecting art, just go in expecting a time capsule.
Some of the supporting actors look like they are having the time of their lives, while others look like they are wondering where their agent went. 🤷♂️ It’s that kind of production.
