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6.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Girl from Missouri remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a thing for 1930s snappy dialogue and Jean Harlow just being undeniably charismatic, then absolutely. If you need a plot that makes sense from start to finish, or if you get annoyed by characters who make decisions just to keep the movie running, you might want to skip it.
Jean Harlow is doing some heavy lifting here. She plays Eadie like she's playing a game of chess against everyone else in the room. There’s a specific scene where she’s just trying to navigate a party, and her facial expressions do more work than the entire script.
The whole “marrying a millionaire” thing feels a bit repetitive after the first half hour. You know she’s going to get the guy, or lose him, or whatever. It’s the journey that matters, right? Sometimes it feels like the writers got bored and just threw a new obstacle in her path to fill space.
Honestly, the pacing is a bit of a mess. It’s like the movie realized it had to hit a certain runtime and just started sprinting toward the finish line. One minute she’s in one city, the next she’s in a completely different social strata. It’s jarring.
I couldn't help but compare it to other dramas of the era. It doesn't have the heavy emotional weight of Waterloo Bridge, which feels like a different universe entirely. It’s lighter, almost breezy, but maybe a little too thin at times.
There is a moment involving a yacht that feels so staged it's almost funny. You can tell they were trying to make it look expensive, but the background looks like it’s painted on cardboard. It gives the whole thing this weird, artificial glow.
The supporting cast? They’re there. They occupy space. Lionel Barrymore does his thing, which is being grumpy and wealthy, but he’s basically furniture. It’s all about Harlow. If she wasn't in this, I probably would have turned it off.
I liked the bit where she’s trying to navigate the etiquette of high society. It’s a classic trope, but she sells it with such genuine frustration. You can see her thinking, 'Why is this fork over here?' It’s small, but it works.
It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a fun way to kill an hour and a half if you like old Hollywood sass. Just don't think about the logistics of her travel plans too much. You’ll get a headache. 🥂
IMDb —
1916
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