Oh, right. I bought a Shirley Temple DVD box set almost a decade ago, but forgot to watch this movie… The other ones were pretty good, if I recall correctly?
This is taking some time to start revving… It’s all very charming and stuff, but it feels like they’re moving people around so that they can start the movie.
Shirley Temple’s father here is a blackguard and a cad (I’m quoting his brother-in-law), so the plot here is basically that he’s asking for money to disappear from their lives… but I’m guessing there’s gonna be a big sentimental finish after he realises that he can’t etc. And I’m fine with that.
Shirley!
Well that didn’t take long.
Oh my god… Temple had to say all these long, convoluted lines! She memorised better at … six? Then I’ve ever been able to.
I don’t remember Cooper hamming it up like this! I think of him mostly as a … pretty dour actor? But he’s totally getting into the silly swing of things here.
This is a cute movie, but instead of zipping along like a screwball comedy, it’s rather… ponderous? It seems like half of the scenes last twice as long as they should — it feels like they’re padding the time or something? It’s 80 minutes as it is, and edited down to a pace that would keep the comedy popping, it would have been less than an hour.
There’s good scenes here — especially at the start. But it promises a movie of hi-jinx and heists, and instead it’s just… sad and melancholy.
Now and Forever. Henry Hathaway. 1934. ⚂
