Use Your Imagination: A messy, charming daydream

Is this worth a watch?

Honestly, it depends on how much you love 1930s musical fluff. If you want a movie that makes sense, you are going to hate this. It is basically a collection of daydreams strung together by a guy who really, really needs to get a grip on his employment situation. ☕️

But if you just want to see some lighthearted musical numbers and a guy being relentlessly sweet about his girl, it is a fun little time-capsule. It’s definitely not The Tunnel in terms of intensity, that is for sure.

The Daydreaming Problem

Our main guy is a total mess at keeping a job. He starts a shift, stares at a wall, and then we are suddenly in a musical dream sequence about Mitzi. It happens so often I started to feel bad for his boss. Like, maybe just give the guy a break? Or, you know, fire him faster.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Use Your Imagination (1933) through its definitive frames.

The transitions are super jarring. One second he is filing papers, the next he is dancing in a hallucination. It feels less like a narrative and more like a guy falling asleep while standing up. 😴

Odd Little Moments

• The way he stares at nothing is actually kind of relatable.
• The musical numbers feel like they were filmed in a different room entirely.
• Is he even a good worker? We never really find out.

I noticed that the extras in the background look like they are waiting for a bus half the time. Some of them aren't even looking at the dancing. It is kind of funny to watch if you ignore the main plot for a bit. It is way less stiff than Divorce in the Family, though it lacks that kind of grounded drama.

There is this one shot where he is supposed to be working, but he is clearly just reciting lines he doesn't care about. It felt very human. I think he just wanted to go home. 🎞️

If you have a soft spot for movies that don't take themselves seriously, this is perfectly fine. Just don't go in expecting a life-changing story. It is just a guy in love, being bad at his job. Aren't we all, sometimes?