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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. That Goes Double remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have twenty minutes and a soft spot for pre-code musical oddities, sure. It’s barely a movie, honestly—more like a long, extended skit that forgot to end. Fans of old-school crooners will enjoy it; people who need a coherent plot will probably just sit there wondering why everyone is acting so twitchy.
The whole premise is just a classic case of be careful what you wish for. Columbo finds a double, thinks he’s found a shortcut to a vacation, and immediately loses control of his own life. It’s thin, but there’s something genuinely odd about watching a guy hire someone to be himself. It’s like a low-budget version of the kind of chaos you see in Movie Mania, just with more singing and less shouting.
The movie moves fast, mostly because it doesn't have much to say. There’s a scene where the double sees a photo of a society lady and his entire face shifts. It’s a dramatic zoom that feels like it belongs in a silent film from five years prior. It made me laugh out loud, though I’m not sure if that was the intended reaction.
The chemistry between Columbo and his double is… weird? It’s stiff, like they’re both trying to remember if they left the stove on back home. The dialogue doesn't help much, either. It’s all very staccato, like people reading cue cards from across the room. If you liked the pacing of Cheer Up and Smile, you’ll probably find this comforting in its total lack of urgency.
The finale at the society party is total pandemonium. It’s the kind of high-society chaos that reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Daughters of Pleasure, though with significantly less at stake. Watching the double try to bluff his way through a room full of fancy people who clearly know who the real singer is… it’s painful, but in a good way.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely a professional production by modern standards. But there’s a sincerity to it that I actually kind of missed. It’s just a guy doing his best, a lookalike trying not to trip, and a camera crew that clearly wanted to go home for lunch. 🎬
IMDb —
1923
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