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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. Take a Chance remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for pre-code musical fluff that doesn't care if it makes sense. If you hate dated humor or people suddenly singing for no reason, you will probably want to turn this off within ten minutes.
There is a specific kind of energy in Take a Chance that you just don't see anymore. It feels less like a movie and more like a stage show that got lost on its way to a theater. It reminded me a bit of the frantic pacing in The Big Noise, where characters just sort of bounce off the walls until the scene ends.
The plot is paper-thin, which is fine. We have two girls, two guys, and a whole lot of IOU drama. One girl leaves for stardom and comes back with a producer, and suddenly the guy who was supposed to be the sensible one starts acting like a total mess.
There is this one moment where they’re arguing about the IOU, and the camera just stays on the producer's face for way too long. He’s clearly trying to remember his next line. It’s hilarious.
It’s not as polished as Zaza, but it has a weird, twitchy pulse. It’s definitely not a masterpiece, but it’s a strange little time capsule. If you like movies where people pose with their hands on their hips for three seconds too long after a joke, you'll be fine.
I found myself wondering if they were even trying to make a coherent story by the end. Probably not. It’s a bit like watching a bunch of theater kids trying to run a marathon. Everyone is sweating, the costumes are slightly too big, and they’re all just happy to be there. 🎭
Would I watch it again? Maybe not the whole thing. But I’d definitely skip back to the song numbers just to see the background extras trying to look busy. You can see one guy in the back just staring at the wall for a full minute. I felt that in my soul.
IMDb —
1930
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