The Girl Friend is a breezy, messy little relic

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, The Girl Friend is one of those movies you watch on a rainy Tuesday when you’ve already scrolled through everything else. If you have a soft spot for the kind of frantic, pre-war musical comedy where everyone talks a little too fast and the stakes are almost non-existent, you’ll probably get a kick out of it. If you need logic or a plot that makes sense, skip it and go watch Miss Pinkerton instead.

The whole thing follows an actor and two songwriters who decide that being broke is just a temporary state of mind, provided you have a good enough scam. They head out to the country to pull a fast one, and predictably, it’s all just a big excuse for songs and misunderstandings.

The rhythm of it

There is a weird, lopsided energy here. The actors seem like they are running on pure caffeine, especially in the scenes where they are trying to hustle the locals. One moment, they are singing a cheerful tune, and the next, they are sweating through a lie that everyone clearly sees right through. It’s charming in a desperate kind of way.

I caught myself staring at the background extras more than the leads. There’s this one guy in a hat near the gazebo who just stands there for about three minutes, looking like he forgot why he was even in the frame. It’s those little, unpolished bits that make me like these old movies more than the big, glossy stuff.

Some thoughts, mostly disjointed

• The songwriting scenes felt like they were shot in about ten minutes flat.
• The lead actor has a grin that is equal parts infectious and deeply annoying.
• The pacing goes from zero to sixty and then hits a wall.
• I couldn't help but think of the chaos in Loot while watching these guys try to keep their story straight.

It’s not trying to be high art, and it fails at that anyway. The musical numbers just sort of happen whenever the plot runs out of steam. Nobody seems bothered by the fact that the con they are running is actually pretty mean-spirited. 🤷‍♂️

It reminds me a bit of the way The Kaiser's New Dentist just throws things at the wall to see what sticks. Does it work? Not really. But at least they’re trying, right? I think I fell asleep for about five minutes during the second act and woke up and didn't miss a single beat of the story. That’s probably the best review I can give this one.