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5.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Misleading Lady remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a massive crush on 1930s cinema or specifically Claudette Colbert. If you’re looking for a tight, logical plot, you’re going to be annoyed by how fast and loose this one plays with reality. It’s light, it’s breezy, and it’s about as deep as a saucer of milk.
Claudette Colbert is doing the heavy lifting here, as usual. She carries this thing on her back with that specific, sharp-tongued energy she had before she became a total superstar. Without her, this would be a real slog.
The whole premise—making a bet to seduce someone for a job—feels like a relic. It’s one of those "movie logic" scenarios where you have to ignore the fact that no human being actually talks like this in real life. It’s stagey. Like, really stagey. You can almost smell the dust on the velvet curtains.
There is this one scene where the dialogue just goes on forever. It’s a back-and-forth that feels like a tennis match played with lead weights. I found myself staring at the background furniture just to keep my brain from drifting off to lunch. 🥱
I couldn't help but think about how different this feels compared to something like The Devil's Holiday. That one had a bit more grit under its fingernails. This movie? It’s all polish and very little dirt.
It’s not a *bad* movie, really. It just feels like something you’d find playing on a tiny TV in the corner of a quiet hotel lobby. It’s there, it’s happening, and you’re vaguely entertained, but you’re probably not going to write home about it.
The ending hits exactly how you think it will. No surprises. No twists. Just a tidy little bow on a package that was already pretty well-wrapped from the start. 🎀
If you're a fan of old-school banter, maybe give it a whirl. Just don't go in expecting it to change your life. Sometimes, a movie is just a movie.
