Things Are Looking Up: A Circus Girl in the Classroom

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for 1930s British comedies where everyone talks just a little too fast, you’ll probably have a good time with Things Are Looking Up. It is a bit of a relic, sure, and some of the schoolroom antics feel like they belong in a dusty textbook, but Cicely Courtneidge carries the whole thing on her back. If you hate slapstick or find old-fashioned stage-y acting exhausting, maybe skip this one.

The plot is exactly what you think it is. A circus lady, all sequins and loud laughter, has to fill in for her sister, who is a stern headmistress at a girls' school. It is the kind of setup that feels like it was written in fifteen minutes, but honestly? It works because Courtneidge is just so committed to the bit.

There is this one moment where she tries to teach a class, and she is clearly just improvising her way through a history lesson. She keeps trying to relate everything back to her time in the circus. Watching her struggle to keep a straight face while the students look on, completely baffled, was the highlight for me.

Oddly Specific Notes:

• The school uniforms look so stiff you could probably use them as building materials.
• There is a brief appearance by a young Vivien Leigh that makes you realize why she became such a massive deal later on. She just glows compared to everyone else.
• The transition between the gritty circus scenes and the prim school setting is jarring, like switching channels on an old TV.
• One of the teachers has a mustache that seems to grow and shrink depending on the lighting. Or maybe I just imagined that.

The movie doesn't really care about logic. Why would anyone actually believe a circus performer is a qualified teacher? Who knows. It doesn't matter. The film is at its best when it just lets Courtneidge be loud and disruptive. When it tries to get all sentimental or serious about the school's reputation, it loses a bit of its steam.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Alice in Wonderland, where things just happen because they have to, not because they make sense. You aren't watching this for a deep story. You are watching it to see someone try to juggle, quite literally, two different lives at once.

It’s not as polished as some other films from the era, like The Potterymaker, but it has a messy charm that is hard to dislike. It is definitely a bit uneven, and the pacing drags in the middle when they decide we need to care about the school’s budget or something equally boring. Just wait for the next scene where she starts tap dancing on a desk or something.

It’s a breezy watch. Perfect for a rainy afternoon when you don't want to think too hard about anything at all. 🎪