Things Are Getting Better Already (1932) Review - Dolly Haas is a Menace

If you want to spend an hour watching a tiny German woman from 1932 drive a car like she is trying to escape a bank heist, then yes, Things Are Getting Better Already is absolutely worth your time. It’s a total blast for anyone who loves fast-talking, chaotic Weimar comedies, but if you can't stand crackly audio and people yelling in vintage office spaces, you should probably skip this one. 🚗

Dolly Haas is the whole show here. She plays the rich daughter of a car manufacturer, and she has this wild, untamed energy that feels almost modern.

You watch her spin that steering wheel and think, "Yeah, she would definitely be banned from driving in every country today." It's great.

Her lawyer is played by Fritz Odemar, and the poor guy looks like he’s about to have a heart attack in every single scene. He’s got these giant bug eyes that pop out whenever Dolly enters the room with another lawsuit in her hand.

Heinz Rühmann is in this too, looking incredibly young and slightly confused. He doesn't have a ton to do, but his face is just so naturally funny that it doesn't even matter.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Things Are Getting Better Already (1932) through its definitive frames.

There is a scene where they are trying to explain a car crash using salt shakers on a restaurant table. It goes on way too long, but I kind of loved how dumb and simple it was.

It’s main charm is just how breathless everything feels. It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in The Company's Mother, though maybe with more honking horns.

The movie is definitely a bit rough around the edges. The editing in the second half feels like someone was cutting the film rolls with kitchen scissors.

But honestly, who cares? It’s just light, silly fun from a time when Berlin was apparently filled with rich kids driving through fruit stands.

If you've seen But a Butler!, you know this kind of German humor can be an acquired taste. But Dolly Haas makes it work through sheer willpower and a lot of shouting.

Odd things I noticed while watching:

• The rear-projection driving is hilarious. She’s spinning the steering wheel 180 degrees while the background road is completely straight.
• A random dog in the background of a street scene looks very confused by the camera crew. 🐕
• Heinz Rühmann’s hat is way too small for his head. Like, remarkably small.
• The judge in the courtroom scene looks like he wants to go home and take a nap. I don't blame him.

It's not a masterpiece, but it made me smile on a rainy Tuesday. Sometimes that's all you really need from a ninety-year-old movie.