Let's start with the good in Pennies from Heaven: Bob Mackie's costumes are really pretty. Bernadette Peters is really pretty. You'll get to see Steve Martin tap dance and Christopher Walken in an elaborate striptease. Now let's get to the bad parts.
Pennies from Heaven is a jukebox musical set in the 1930s, but even though the two leads can sing-Steve would later appear in the movie Little Shop of Horrors and Bernadette had already been nominated for two Tony awards-the filmmakers chose to have no one in the film sing their own songs. Instead, the original 1930s recordings were used, and oftentimes the effect was jarring and comical when a male character would lip-sync to a female's vocals. Since the story is a drama, it's not supposed to make the audience laugh.
The second problem is Steve Martin's character. He plays a married man, unhappily tied to Jessica Harper. He treats Jessica badly, putting her down, blaming her for their problems, humiliating her, and pressuring her into doing things she's not comfortable doing. Then, he falls in love with a beautiful, meek schoolteacher, Bernadette Peters. He lies to her and tells her he's not married, then when he slips up and says "my wife" in the course of a conversation, rather than confess his deceit and disrespectful intentions, he pretends to weep in his hands and makes up another lie about being a widower. Then, as Bernadette comforts him, he makes advances. He doesn't listen to her protestations, uses his fake tears as his motivation, and pressures her into going to bed with him. In short, he's a terrible person. How can we possibly root for him? Poor Bernadette, and poor Jessica!
The next problem is the 1930s setting. As Fred Astaire commented when he watched the film, it didn't capture the innocence of the time period. The film is riddled with seediness and sensationalism, which don't embody the decade. In the Depression, those who were down on their luck were quite literally depressed. They didn't prance around like Honest John in Pinocchio on his way to Pleasure Island. 1930s films featured glitz and glam, but with the express intention of cheering their audiences up and providing escapism. The grand chorus numbers in Pennies from Heaven feel like they were made in the 1980s, appealing to a generation of yuppies swallowing the "Greed is Good" mantra.
Speaking of Fred Astaire, there's one song and dance that features his archival footage. Steve and Bernadette go to the movies and watch Follow the Fleet. When "Let's Face the Music and Dance" is performed, Fred and Ginger open the song. Then, Steve and Bernadette literally walk into the screen and take over in their places. Setting aside how presumptuous that is, and setting aside the fact that Fred was adamantly against using that footage in this film, the rest of the number is completely changed! If you're going to have a replica, have a replica, like Seth MacFarlane's tribute to Gene Kelly's dance with Jerry the Mouse. Follow the Fleet is my favorite Fred & Ginger musical; I know it like the back of my hand. Anyone who knows "Let's Face the Music and Dance" knows that it's not a chorus number. It's an extremely poignant number that speaks to those in the audience who have absolutely nothing to live for, telling them to get back up on their feet and ride it out. It is not a chorus number, there are no intricate camera angles, there is no tap dancing, Fred doesn't have a cane, the music doesn't suddenly become jazzy and up-tempo, and the two leads never find themselves imprisoned in a jail-like fence made of the chorusmen's canes. No wonder Fred said he was nauseated to watch this movie!
If you're that one person on Earth who doesn't like Fred Astaire, and you don't care one bit about accurately representing the innocence of the 1930s, you can check this out to see Steve Martin in a drama alongside his sweet-pie at the time. She's awfully cute, but even though she has a special place in my heart, I couldn't fully like the movie.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. During the "My Baby Said Yes" bank song, there's quite a bit of spinning camerawork, and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
Pennies from Heaven is a jukebox musical set in the 1930s, but even though the two leads can sing-Steve would later appear in the movie Little Shop of Horrors and Bernadette had already been nominated for two Tony awards-the filmmakers chose to have no one in the film sing their own songs. Instead, the original 1930s recordings were used, and oftentimes the effect was jarring and comical when a male character would lip-sync to a female's vocals. Since the story is a drama, it's not supposed to make the audience laugh.
The second problem is Steve Martin's character. He plays a married man, unhappily tied to Jessica Harper. He treats Jessica badly, putting her down, blaming her for their problems, humiliating her, and pressuring her into doing things she's not comfortable doing. Then, he falls in love with a beautiful, meek schoolteacher, Bernadette Peters. He lies to her and tells her he's not married, then when he slips up and says "my wife" in the course of a conversation, rather than confess his deceit and disrespectful intentions, he pretends to weep in his hands and makes up another lie about being a widower. Then, as Bernadette comforts him, he makes advances. He doesn't listen to her protestations, uses his fake tears as his motivation, and pressures her into going to bed with him. In short, he's a terrible person. How can we possibly root for him? Poor Bernadette, and poor Jessica!
The next problem is the 1930s setting. As Fred Astaire commented when he watched the film, it didn't capture the innocence of the time period. The film is riddled with seediness and sensationalism, which don't embody the decade. In the Depression, those who were down on their luck were quite literally depressed. They didn't prance around like Honest John in Pinocchio on his way to Pleasure Island. 1930s films featured glitz and glam, but with the express intention of cheering their audiences up and providing escapism. The grand chorus numbers in Pennies from Heaven feel like they were made in the 1980s, appealing to a generation of yuppies swallowing the "Greed is Good" mantra.
Speaking of Fred Astaire, there's one song and dance that features his archival footage. Steve and Bernadette go to the movies and watch Follow the Fleet. When "Let's Face the Music and Dance" is performed, Fred and Ginger open the song. Then, Steve and Bernadette literally walk into the screen and take over in their places. Setting aside how presumptuous that is, and setting aside the fact that Fred was adamantly against using that footage in this film, the rest of the number is completely changed! If you're going to have a replica, have a replica, like Seth MacFarlane's tribute to Gene Kelly's dance with Jerry the Mouse. Follow the Fleet is my favorite Fred & Ginger musical; I know it like the back of my hand. Anyone who knows "Let's Face the Music and Dance" knows that it's not a chorus number. It's an extremely poignant number that speaks to those in the audience who have absolutely nothing to live for, telling them to get back up on their feet and ride it out. It is not a chorus number, there are no intricate camera angles, there is no tap dancing, Fred doesn't have a cane, the music doesn't suddenly become jazzy and up-tempo, and the two leads never find themselves imprisoned in a jail-like fence made of the chorusmen's canes. No wonder Fred said he was nauseated to watch this movie!
If you're that one person on Earth who doesn't like Fred Astaire, and you don't care one bit about accurately representing the innocence of the 1930s, you can check this out to see Steve Martin in a drama alongside his sweet-pie at the time. She's awfully cute, but even though she has a special place in my heart, I couldn't fully like the movie.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. During the "My Baby Said Yes" bank song, there's quite a bit of spinning camerawork, and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"