You Can't Have Everything: A Musical Mess Worth Digging Through

Is it worth your time?

If you like old musicals that don't take themselves too seriously, you’ll probably have a blast with this. If you need a tight, logical plot that doesn't rely on coincidences happening every five minutes, you should skip this one entirely.

It’s the kind of movie that feels like it was written on the back of a napkin during a very loud party. Alice Faye is doing her best to anchor the whole thing, but the script is basically just a thin excuse to string together a bunch of musical numbers. Honestly, I didn't mind that much.

The whole spaghetti meet-cute is just plain goofy. Who steals pasta and then falls in love? I guess people did in 1937. The chemistry between Don Ameche and Faye is fine, but it’s the supporting cast that kept me watching. Seeing The Ritz Brothers pop up is like watching a manic explosion in a library; they really don't make them like that anymore.

There is this one moment where the music just stops, and the film tries to be serious about the romance, and it feels like the air went out of the room. It’s almost better when they just go back to the singing. The staging is massive, even when the budget clearly wasn't. Sometimes the sets look like they’re about to tip over if someone sneezes too hard.

It’s a bit like watching Reckless Rosie if you squint, though clearly aiming for a different vibe. You can tell they were trying to capture that high-society glamour, but it mostly just feels like a very expensive stage play filmed in a drafty warehouse. Still, there’s a weird energy here that’s hard to hate.

The plot about the play "North Winds" being bought just to manipulate a girl’s feelings is… well, it’s problematic, let's say. But the movie doesn't seem to realize that. It just keeps on dancing. 💃

Random observations:

• The spaghetti scene is still bothering me. Who eats stolen spaghetti?
• The costume department clearly had a "more sequins is never enough" policy.
• I swear I saw the same background extra in three different scenes, looking equally confused.
• The pacing goes from a sprint to a crawl and back again without any warning.

It’s not perfect. It’s not even really good in a traditional sense. But if you’re looking for something that feels like a time capsule of people trying way too hard to be charming, you might find yourself sticking around until the credits roll. I think I did.