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6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Tillie and Gus remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, if you have any patience for pre-code comedies where people are just shouting at each other, yes. It's a blast. If you need a movie to actually make sense or follow a logical path, look elsewhere. You will hate it if you think a baby being used as a comedic prop is too weird.
W.C. Fields is just doing his thing here. He’s playing a guy who’s broke, slightly drunk, and entirely unbothered by ethics. It’s perfect. He walks through the frame like he’s trying to find the nearest exit but keeps getting pulled back into the plot.
The whole ferry race finale is honestly pretty charming, even if the model work is as cheap as you’d expect from the 1930s. There’s a moment where they are trying to keep the boat running that feels like a precursor to every 'oops, we broke the machine' trope ever filmed.
Speaking of chaos, have you seen A Truthful Liar? This movie shares that same weird, desperate energy. You can tell nobody on set was taking the script too seriously.
There is this one scene where Fields is trying to navigate a social situation and he just looks at the camera with that specific, squinty-eyed disdain. I laughed for way too long. It’s the kind of tiny detail that makes these old movies stick in your brain way longer than some fancy modern drama.
Sometimes the movie gets bogged down in the 'missionary' subplot, and the pacing drags. It feels like the director wanted to make a drama for five minutes before remembering, 'Oh wait, I have W.C. Fields, let's just let him yell at someone.' Thank god for that.
It’s not perfect. It’s barely a movie, really. It’s more like a collection of gags held together by a fraying rope. But hey, sometimes that’s exactly what you need on a Tuesday night. ⛴️💨