Waltz Time: A bit dusty, but charming enough

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, it depends on how much patience you have for old black-and-white musicals. If you want something that feels like a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon, sure, give it a go. But if you’re looking for high stakes or snappy editing, you’re going to be bored out of your mind within ten minutes.

It’s a very specific kind of comfort watch. The sort of thing you put on when you’re doing laundry and don’t need to pay full attention.

The Vienna Vibe

The whole point of this thing is the "local color." You get a lot of shots of people walking around Vienna looking very important and wearing hats that seem far too heavy for the weather. George Baker wanders through it all looking slightly bewildered, which I guess is the character requirement.

There’s a scene where he’s trying to write in his hotel room and the music from the streets keeps drifting in. It’s meant to be whimsical, but it mostly just made me wonder how he ever got any work done at all. The noise level in that fictional Vienna must be a nightmare for concentration.

Bits and Bobs

• The music is fine, I guess, if you like the classics.
• Some of the dance sequences feel like they were filmed in a closet. So tight!
• The transition between scenes is sometimes just a jarring jump-cut that makes you think you missed a whole five minutes of dialogue.

It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s definitely no Bajirao Mastani, that’s for sure. The scale is microscopic compared to that, but that’s fine. It’s just a little story about an author trying to find his groove.

Wait, what was that?

There’s a moment with a waiter near the middle that felt totally improvised or maybe just really poorly rehearsed. He trips over his own feet, and instead of cutting it, they kept it in. It’s actually the most human thing in the entire movie. Total gold.

I found myself thinking about Leap Year while watching this, mostly because both movies have that weird, dated energy where everyone is acting like they’re in a play rather than a movie. It’s charming, but also a bit stiff. Don’t expect to be emotionally wrecked by the ending. You’ll probably just say, 'Oh, that was nice,' and go make a sandwich. 🥪

Some of the supporting cast are clearly just there to fill the frame, which gives the crowd scenes a weird, empty feeling. Like, where did the rest of the city go? They’re all just hiding behind the camera, probably.