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7.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. You're Telling Me! remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for pre-code era grumpiness, you’ll probably find something to love here. It’s definitely not for anyone who needs a tight, fast-paced plot, because this movie basically just wanders around until W.C. Fields feels like saying something funny.
Fans of classic comedy will find it charming. Everyone else might just wonder why this guy is so incredibly bad at being a functioning human being. 🍷
There’s a specific kind of rhythm to a W.C. Fields movie that you either get or you don't. He spends half this film looking like he’s trying to solve a complex equation while simultaneously trying to remember where he left his drink.
His performance here isn't polished, and frankly, I don't think it's meant to be. He just kind of exists in the frame, muttering things that are way funnier than the actual dialogue probably deserves.
It definitely feels like a cousin to some of the lighter, more frantic shorts of that era, like Raisin' Trouble or the chaos of Jungle Jumble. Sometimes it feels like he’s improvising just to see if the other actors can keep up.
There’s a moment with a golf club that goes on for about ten seconds too long. It’s perfect. It feels like the camera operator got distracted and forgot to cut, but it actually makes the joke land harder because you see him struggling with the prop.
The whole thing is thin. Extremely thin. If you start looking for a deep message about the American Dream or whatever, you’re going to be disappointed. Just watch the man stumble through his own life and try not to break everything he touches. It's enough. 🎩