DbcultAccessing Vault...
Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you like movies where everyone is constantly one secret away from total social collapse, you’ll probably get a kick out of Stepping Sisters. It is not exactly high art, but it has a rhythm that feels almost like a frantic stage play. If you need your comedies to have tight, logical plotting or modern sensibilities, you’ll likely find the whole thing a bit exhausting.
The premise is simple enough: former burlesque dancers trying to pass as posh ladies. It is the kind of stuff that would feel right at home alongside A Fascinating Vamp, though with a lot more nervous pacing.
There is something really funny about watching characters who are clearly having a better time than the stuffy aristocrats they are trying to impress. Louise Dresser is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She has this look on her face every time a butler walks by that just says, "I am one slip-up away from being kicked out of this mansion." It’s great.
The dialogue is fast. Sometimes it feels like they are just reading lines as quickly as possible to get to the next punchline. There’s a scene about halfway through—I think involving some misplaced jewelry—where the timing gets so chaotic I honestly lost track of who was supposed to be hiding what. It was weirdly charming, like watching someone try to juggle while riding a unicycle.
It’s not trying to be a deep dive into class struggle. It’s just a breezy comedy about the fear of being seen for who you really are, even if that 'who' is just a lady who used to dance a bit too enthusiastically in a burlesque hall. 💃
It doesn't have the emotional stakes of something like Camille, and thank goodness for that. Sometimes you just want to watch people scramble to hide their pasts while wearing really uncomfortable-looking dresses. It hits the spot, even if the ending feels like it was tacked on while the projector was already cooling down.
IMDb 6.3
1924
Community
Log in to comment.
