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6.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Uptown New York remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're a die-hard fan of 1930s dramas where everyone speaks in rapid-fire, slightly theatrical bursts, maybe. Otherwise, Uptown New York is a bit of a slog. It’s for the folks who want to see how movies used to handle the 'rich girl vs. working girl' trope before it became a total cliché. If you hate slow-moving plots where the characters just stand around making bad life choices, skip this one.
There’s a weird stiffness to the whole thing. It’s like the actors were told to hit their marks and stay there, no matter how unnatural it looks. You get the feeling they were afraid to bump into the furniture. 🛋️
Max finally gets his surgeon's diploma, and you'd think he'd be happy. Instead, he’s immediately swarmed by parents who have already picked out his future wife like they're shopping for a new rug. It’s suffocating, really.
Pat, poor Pat. She’s the girl who actually loves him, but she doesn't have the fancy background. It’s the kind of conflict that feels like it’s been recycled since the dawn of time.
There’s a scene near the middle that goes on for what feels like a lifetime. It’s just two people talking about social standing while leaning against a mantelpiece. I’m pretty sure the guy in the background is just reading a paper and trying not to fall asleep. 😴
It’s not as interesting as 24 Hours, which somehow managed to make a similar kind of tension feel a lot more urgent. Here, the stakes feel a bit dusty. Like, okay, he's a doctor now, we get it. Do we have to watch him sign every single piece of paper?
The cinematography is fine, I guess. It’s mostly just people in rooms. There's this one shot where the lighting hits the lead actress's hair and makes her look like a ghost for a second, which was actually the most interesting thing that happened in that entire five-minute stretch. It was a total accident, I'm sure.
It’s not a complete disaster, but it’s definitely not a lost masterpiece either. It’s just kind of... there. You can feel the movie trying really hard to make you care about this marriage plot, but it’s hard to root for a protagonist who lets his parents dictate his entire existence. 🤷♂️
Maybe go watch Tomorrow and Tomorrow instead if you want this kind of melodrama handled with a bit more punch. Or don't. It's your afternoon.
IMDb —
1925
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