Not what you might expect from Frank Capra - he hadn't quite developed his idiom by this time. Nevertheless he manages to bring a more modern feel to what could otherwise have been a typical one-dimensional early thirties throw-away ninety minutes. Films from 1931 often suffer from 'stagey' acting, especially from the supporting cast and undeveloped characters but thanks to the skill of Mr Capra, not this one.
It's got snappy dialogue, an engaging story and mainly believable characters - mainly...the exception being Jean Harlow. She is horribly miscast as the upper class socialite - come out of her depth in this. I personally just don't get Jean Harlow. I'm sure she was a lovely person but (unlike Loretta Young) her style of 'acting' hasn't aged at all well and she is the only, rather big weak link in this film.
Special shout-out to Robert Williams who shines in this - what a tragedy he died just after making this, he had exactly what 'the new stars' of the early thirties need to out sparkle his contemporaries, he could have been a really big star.
It's got snappy dialogue, an engaging story and mainly believable characters - mainly...the exception being Jean Harlow. She is horribly miscast as the upper class socialite - come out of her depth in this. I personally just don't get Jean Harlow. I'm sure she was a lovely person but (unlike Loretta Young) her style of 'acting' hasn't aged at all well and she is the only, rather big weak link in this film.
Special shout-out to Robert Williams who shines in this - what a tragedy he died just after making this, he had exactly what 'the new stars' of the early thirties need to out sparkle his contemporaries, he could have been a really big star.