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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
Honestly, it depends on how much you like watching people from the 1930s act like they’re in a high-stakes soap opera over a train ticket. If you have a soft spot for grainy, old-school charm, you'll probably get a kick out of it. If you need pacing that feels like modern life, you’re going to hate this and probably check your phone after ten minutes.
There’s a weird, specific rhythm to this movie. It feels like the actors are constantly trying to decide if they’re in a comedy or a drama, and they settle for being somewhere comfortably in between. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in No Parking, though with less actual driving and more staring into the distance.
The dialogue is fast. Sometimes it’s so fast I think they were just trying to finish the scene before the sun went down. There’s a moment where Florelle is arguing with a waiter, and the waiter just stands there, completely blank, like he’s waiting for a bus that’s never coming. It’s great.
It’s not as tightly put together as something like The Master Crook. It wanders. It stops to look at things that don’t really matter to the story. I kind of loved that about it.
I found myself wondering if they even had a script for the second half or if they just made it up while drinking coffee on set. There’s a scene near a lake that goes on for about three minutes too long, and it’s just the sound of water and some heavy breathing. It’s weirdly hypnotic. 🌊
Look, it’s not going to change your life. It’s just a movie about a vacation. Sometimes that’s enough.