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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you have a soft spot for 1930s romantic comedies where everyone is a little bit terrible to each other, you might enjoy The Runaround. It’s not exactly high art, and if you hate movies where the entire plot hinges on people refusing to just have one honest conversation, you’ll probably want to skip this one entirely.
The whole premise is built on a bet. A rich guy tries to bribe a chorus girl, she says no, and then they immediately start lying to everyone around them. It feels like a precursor to the screwball energy you’d see in something like The Cat and the Fiddle, though maybe a bit less polished.
The middle of the movie revolves around this elaborate ruse with an actor pretending to be a father. It’s honestly the most stressful part of the film. You’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when it finally does, it’s not even a big explosion—it’s just a drunk guy spilling the beans at a stag party.
The pacing here is weird. One minute we’re in a tense standoff at a church, and the next, everyone is just kind of laughing it off. It feels like the writers realized they were running out of film stock and just decided to wrap it all up with a letter. Very convenient, right?
Honestly, the movie gets noticeably better once the characters stop trying to be clever and just start being people. It’s like they finally got tired of the charade themselves. If you’re looking for something breezy that doesn't demand you take it seriously, you could do worse. It’s not The Natural Law, but it doesn't try to be.
Sometimes, I think these older films are just an excuse to wear fancy clothes and argue in rooms with too much furniture. This one hits that mark perfectly. 🥂
