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5.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Young and Beautiful remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a thing for 1930s studio-era fluff, maybe. If you hate movies where people just shout at each other about contracts and publicity stunts, skip it. It’s loud, it’s fast, and it honestly feels like someone drank four cups of coffee before writing the script.
The whole thing revolves around William Haines playing a guy who treats his own girlfriend like a business asset. It’s supposed to be charming, I think? But he’s so relentless with these "publicity stunts" that you start to wonder why June Dale doesn’t just run away in the first ten minutes.
There’s this one scene in an office that just drags on forever. People are pacing, phones are ringing, and it feels like the director forgot to yell cut. It’s not necessarily bad, just exhausting. You start to notice the wallpaper more than the dialogue after a while.
It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Soft Money, where everyone is just trying to make a buck and failing to be decent people. Not that I’m comparing them deeply, just that same vibe of 'people talking very quickly about things that don't matter.'
The way they handle the "wealthy admirer" subplot is so predictable it hurts. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion, except the train is made of cardboard and glitter. You know exactly where it’s going, but you stay seated anyway.
Honestly, the movie is at its best when it stops trying to be a romantic comedy and just leans into being a chaotic mess of Hollywood phonies. It’s not deep, it’s not smart, but it’s very 1934. Sometimes that’s enough, right? Maybe not. I don't know. 🎬