Your Money or Your Life: A chaotic trip back in time

Is this worth your time?

If you’ve got a soft spot for 1930s European slapstick, you’ll probably have a blast. It’s got that specific, manic energy that makes you wonder how these guys didn't run out of breath on set. But if you’re looking for a smooth, modern story? Forget it. You’ll be bored in ten minutes.

Voskovec and Werich are basically the main event here. They’ve got this rapid-fire banter that feels like it’s constantly teetering on the edge of falling apart, which is honestly the best part. It feels less like a movie and more like a stage play that someone decided to film on a whim.

There’s this one sequence where the sheer amount of shouting makes you think the audio engineer just gave up and went home. It’s loud, it’s messy, and I kind of loved it. It’s not exactly subtle, but who watches these things for the nuance?

I couldn't help but think about The Non-Stop Bride while watching this. Both movies share that same frantic need to keep the audience laughing, even if the joke landed five minutes ago and we’ve all moved on. It’s exhausting in a weirdly charming way.

• The sets feel like they’re held together by tape and optimism.
• Some of the reactions are so over-the-top they look like silent film acting, but ten years too late.
• The music choice during the bank scene? Baffling. I don't know why they went with that, but it definitely sticks with you.

It’s not perfect. The middle section drags its feet for way too long, and I found myself checking my phone, which is a bad sign. But then someone trips over a rug or shouts a line into a telephone and you’re back in it. It’s a goofy, messy relic that reminds you cinema used to be a lot more... desperate to please.

Maybe don't watch this if you're in a bad mood. It requires a certain amount of patience for its own brand of chaos. If you can handle the crackly audio and the dated jokes, it’s a fun window into a very different kind of comedy.